#so if you aren't here you're probably there

[ohtobeleah]

CHAMELEON IS SOOOO GOOD UGH im obsessed with this dysfunctional couple trying to be functional again! thank you so feeding us!!

i would love to see that breakfast scene btw 👀

Chameleon // Jack Abbot

“Do you still get the usual?” 

It wasn't supposed to be such a loaded question. But the reality was, no. No, you didn't get the loaded avocado, with smashed pumpkin, pickled onions, tomatoes and feta on sourdough anymore. You didn't get the dish you and Jack had often shared. The meal was balanced well rounded. Filling. But you'd stopped ordering that when Jack moved out. 

Now? You didn't have an order. You hadn't been to Willows since you asked for a separation. It wasn't the same without Jack. 

“I'll just have whatever you're having, with a chai latte.” 

But here you were. Sitting across from the love of your life, at a table set for two, feeling like the third wheel. Jack…the silence, and yourself. 

“I had a pretty rough end to the shift,” It's Jack that breaks it though. He sounds tired. You recognise a little exhaustion, maybe even a hint of despair laced through his words. 

“Oh, wanna talk about it?” With a scowling brow, you probe. It's not like Jack to offer up the things that trouble him for free. At the very least, he'd developed a rather frustrating habit of just not offering it to you. 

“I had a guy come in who'd come off second best after being hit by a car on a run,” Jack explained as he rubbed his palms on his knees. He was sweating. Why did you look so perfect? Even after a fifteen-hour shift. “His fiancée was, rightly, devastated. But she told me they'd had one of their first big fights and he'd decided to go for a run to cool off.” 

You didn't reply. The heaviness that surrounded the two of you was all that needed to be focused on. Jack sipped his long black. You stirred your Chai. Both the bacon and egg rolls that Jack had ordered for both of you were now going cold on their respective plates. 

“Made me think about us,” He broke the silence again. Only this time, your heart dropped into your stomach. “How…complicated things have gotten.” 

It was never meant to become out of control. The sadness, that is. Jack thought he had everything under control. He was managing. He was working. He was coping. 

Until he woke up with his hands around your neck.

“I never want to experience that level of regret; that look on her face was something ripped right from a horror movie.” Jack could picture it as clear as day. He was sure he'd remember this woman's grief for years to come. The permanence of it all. The end. The ‘that's it, you can't take back what you said’ in her eyes when she realised her soon-to-be husband was dead, and the last thing she said was ‘Fine, but don't come back with an attitude still.’ 

It made Jack reflect…

“Makes you wonder if you'd turn back the clock, doesn't it?” You signed, picking at the crispy outer edges of the fried egg on your burger. 

“Or you could have just…not left.” He didn't mean for it to sound so one-sided. Like everything had been so perfect before you walked away. Jack didn't mean to make it sound like this was your fault. It wasn't, but god, why did you have to leave? 

“That's not what this is or ever was, Jack? You know why.” You replied, shock made its home across your face as you did so. Where the hell did that come from? “I'm sorry about your patient, but seriously, watch what you say to me.” 

“I needed you the most and you—” Jack watched the fake reality he'd found himself surrounded by, shatter around him. He'd gotten lost in the flirtatious nature of your breakup. He thought he could repeat the cycle… But you pushed back. 

“Forgave shit you would have hated me for, that's the conversation you aren't ready for yet! That's what I did.” It was clearly not the first time you'd had to remind Jack what the reality of the situation was. At least that's probably what the older lady sitting at the table adjacent to you thought. She sent you a small look of sympathy…but although intended as a gesture of kindness, it just felt like a knife to the chest. 

“It wasn't that I left you when you were at your lowest, because I made sure you got proper help before I got myself help.” Jack didn't interrupt as you spoke. He simply sat across from you, thinking about how he shouldn't have opened his mouth. 

“If I didn't love you and didn't want you to be a part of my life, I wouldn't be sitting here trying to figure out if this was just some half thought out attempt at an apology, or if you really are just reaching an age where critical thinking skills start to rapidly decline.” 

“Sorry, I am.” Jack groaned as he ran his hands over his face. You knew he was, you could see it in his eyes when he looked at you. His soul had aged, but they were still the same eyes you fell in love with. 

“You should be,” You scoffed in disbelief, although it wasn't too far out of the realm of possibility for Jack Abbot. “My god, this was a mistake.” 

“I didn't mean it to sound like that,” Jack admitted with a softness in his voice. The guilt was already eating him alive. Sitting this close to you, yet so far away, was driving him wild. “I just mean, I wish things hadn't gotten so bad that you felt like leaving was the only option you had.” 

“Yeah, well,” You groaned, reaching for your chai latte. The sip was heavenly. Maybe it had something to do with the fact you'd been stirring it absentmindedly for five minutes. Or maybe it was just the fact that you hadn't been to your favourite cafe since your separation. “Can't take it back now, just—think.” 

The frustration in your voice was extremely difficult to hear. The last thing Jack ever wanted to do was be the cause of your pain, discomfort or anger. Yet here he was…the cause of all three. 

“You don't usually like it when I do that?” Jack tried to lighten the mood. He smiled, just barely. But you saw it. 

“Beats the alternative where you're just an outright jerk.” You replied. The giggle the two of you shared was as pure as your love. It was a nice moment of reprieve as the hustle and bustle of Willow's cafe filled the comfortable silence. 

“I said I was sorry,” Jack smirked. His eyes never left yours. He had a way of making the world around you stop when he had you locked in a state so fierce, it nearly took away your ability to breathe. 

“Yeah, you say that word a lot, actually.” It was the way you rolled your eyes that broke the stare off. The contest filled with nuance and context that others just passing by would never catch. “To the point where you'd think the definition would be easier to understand.” 

Jack faked a pained chest. You laughed. He smiled softly. It was definitely a moment. It was…nice? 

“You look beautiful, by the way, I haven't told you that in a while, but you look,” 

“Thanks,” You accepted the compliment. “You look like you've been up for three days.” 

“Bed's a lonely place.” Jack shrugged. It was the truth. Sleeping was hard at the best of times. But sleeping alone really made the voices echo. 

“Might need to fix that, pops.” You teased. It was your way of telling Jack he had to keep trying. Keep fighting. 

“I never should have listened to Robby.” Jack offered up as he shook his head. A mouth full of burger had him muffling his words. But you understood perfectly. 

“Was he the one who told you to take your wife to breakfast and insult the shit out of her?”   “I might have to tell Robinavitch to back off?” 

“My wife,” Jack repeated. He heard it loud and clear. You had just referred to yourself as his wife. It sent electricity shooting through his body like he was designed just for you. “I haven't heard you say that in a long time.” That very statement alone was enough to have your heart aching inside your chest. 

“I haven't felt like it in a long, long time.”

[moon-fics]

Hey there! 👋

Can I request a Bob Floyd xreader where the reader loves food, and when they first meet each other (like he walks into a restaurant and see her), she's stuffing her face (not too crazy though) with food cuz she's hungry and she looks up at him with a deer-in-headlights look and he thinks it's adorable but she finds it embarrassing. It's something I would do, and I think it'd be hilarious to read 🙃

Do you even have to ask? I'd write this happily even if you demanded it rudely! Love it!

It's been a long, long day. Work had you up at 5am, and you slept in, so breakfast wasn't an option. You missed lunch because your boss called you into a meeting. Now, it was finally dinner and your friends had made plans with you.

Unfortunately, they weren't there when you arrived. They texted you saying traffic was so bad that they wouldn't make it until an hour later. So, you're stuck with reservations for three with just you there.

You decide not to let your reservation at this fancy restaurant go to waste. You order something off the menu that you cannot pronounce correctly, and decide to just stick with it. The worst thing that could happen is it taste terrible, but you'll eat it anyway.

The universe smiles on you because the food is divine. It's as good as the price, and you're so hungry you basically stuff your face with it. Of course, you keep your manners and wipe your lips after every bite. You're so engrossed in finally eating you don't notice the man at another table staring at you until his friends begin laughing.

You freeze at the realization that they've probably been watching you eat and have been using you for entertainment. You slow your bites and try to recover your dignity. That stops when the man staring at you approaches your table. You're stuck mid-bite when he reaches your table, and all you can do is stare up at him with wide eyes.

"I, uh, I just wanted to say you have really pretty eyes," He says nervously. His glasses fall from his face an inch, and he pushes them back up. You realize he's wearing some sort of uniform, but you aren't sure for which branch. His brown hair is neatly pulled back and cut short. You know there's a base near here, but you barely see anyone in uniform. "That's all. Thank you!" He coughs out.

He's about to scramble back to his table when you swallow your bite and stop him. "Wait, is that why you were staring at me?" You ask firmly. He spins back around with a mortified look.

"You noticed?" He sounds surprised. As if he were somehow being the sneakiest man in the world, and assumed you didn't even notice him. "No, that wasn't- I mean, yes, I was staring because you're beautiful. It was also because my friends kept telling me to approach you," He admits.

You glance past him to see his friends with wide smiles. One of them gives you a thumbs up, and it's almost laughable. This is such a romcom type of thing to happen, and yet it's happening to you. You return your focus to him.

"So, you were just going to say I look beautiful and leave?" You rest your head on your hand. Did he even think this encounter through? What did he even want to gain from it other than saying he told you? "I mean, it's nice, but usually guys ask for a number or social." You point out.

"Yeah, I was going to ask. You just looked busy with your food, and I really didn't want to be the guy who randomly asks women for their numbers." He mumbles. You feel bad for him because he clearly wants to talk to you, but he has no idea how. He probably faces dangers regularly, but this is anxiety-inducing for him.

"Ok, so why don't you join me?" You suggest while gesturing to one of the empty chairs at your table. "You seem sweet, and it would be nice not to eat alone." He nods at your proposal and pulls out the chair across from you.

You spend the rest of the night talking and learning about each other. He's a lieutenant in the Navy and a back seater. It's much more interesting than your job, so that takes away the need to bring up your terrible day. With every new topic, his eyes light up and his lips grow into a wider smile. The more time he's with you, the better he feels about approaching your table. He doesn't want the night to end and he'll make sure to thank his friends for forcing him over here.

By the end of the conversation, he offers to pay for your meal and even asks if you want dessert. You're surprised at how much of a gentleman he is, but you don't let him pay.

"So, Bob, is this more than you expected to get from saying I was pretty?" You ask as you both exit the restaurant. The mood has shifted to a more playful atmosphere. It's much better than the awkward tense one you had when first meeting.

"I said your eyes were pretty," He corrects with an amused tone. "But after spending time with you, I'd say you were more than just gorgeous." His words make your heart race. You haven't had a man act this way towards you in a long time, and suddenly he appears while you're eating food like an animal. It's humiliating and satisfying at the same time.

"Well, you'll just have to call me for more time then." You wink. It doesn't dawn on you that he doesn't have your number. It doesn't hit him either.

You only realize when you get home and check your phone. The amount of screams you unleash into your pillow is too many. There's no way you'd run into him again. You don't even know how long he'll be in the area. Your luck ran out and you're paying for it.

--

It hasn't even been two days, and you've found him. Somehow, somewhere in the cosmos, a star is fond of you. You're staring at him from across the coffee shop. He's already gotten his order, and he's about to leave. You can either let him go and get your breakfast, or risk not eating this morning to stop him.

You'll just have to starve because you don't even get to consider the choice before you're grabbing his arm. He's a lot firmer than you thought, and it catches you off guard.

His head snaps to you, and his surprise changes to relief instantly. "I don't have your number!" He blurts out. The first thing he thought about when seeing you was the reason he never reached out.

"I know!" You laugh. "I forgot to give it to you. I didn't think I'd see you again, so when I did, I didn't want to lose you," You explain. You let go of his arm and hide both behind your back. Now, it's your turn to be timid.

"I-I carried around mine on a card in case I saw you," He confesses. He pulls out his wallet and shows you a ripped-out notebook paper with his number on it. Next to it was your name with a tiny heart next to it.

[seokminfilm]

graduation — y jeonghan & j wonwoo

PAIRING 𐂴 yoon jeonghan x reader x jeon wonwoo

TAGS & WARNINGS 𐂴 non-idol au, high school au, hinted love triangle, fluff, hurt/comfort, a little angst, skinship, jeonghan calls reader honey (even tho they aren't dating), mutual pining goes CRAZY, romantic tension ALSO goes crazy, jeonghan wants reader but wonwoo also lowkey wants reader too, open ending

SUMMARY 𐂴 graduation had a way of bringing you, jeonghan, and wonwoo closer together.

LYR'S SIDENOTES 𐂴 requested by liza (@kissbyoon)!! she said i could write for either jeonghan or wonwoo but i didn't want to choose so..here we are!! a fic that could be emotionally damaging and too cute for either you OR me to handle!! i'm so sick i miss them so badly 😭 here's my way of comforting (or hurting LMAO SORRY) both wonwoo stans AND jeonghan stans!! love u guys we'll make it 🙏

NOW PLAYING 𐂴 beanie (chezile) (note: yes i've probably used this song 6 times in the past week....yes i'm in a phase)

WORD COUNT 1.5k 𐂴 FOR @kstrucknet

the cold water of jeonghan's pool perfectly reflected the night sky, tiny stars sprayed throughout the darkness that winked at you with every blink of your eyes.

you and your best friends jeonghan and wonwoo sat by the pool, quietly thinking about the last few days of your high school years: the three of you had graduated tonight, and each of you was moving on to bigger things. it was somber, watching your faces reflect in the pool's shimmering water.

you were all getting older, whether you wanted to or not. you saw how wonwoo's jawline was getting sharper, and noticed how jeonghan's voice became more velvety and deep over the past few months.

"you have that look on your face, honey," jeonghan's voice comes from beside you, and you come back to the present, eyes going to jeonghan's smirking face. shaking your head, you shrug, dipping your finger in the water.

"what look?" you question innocently, and wonwoo speaks up, dark eyes already on your body, running up and down your skin.

"that faraway look you have on your face when you're thinking about something." wonwoo's voice is low and deep as it runs along your spine, and you can't help but chuckle, kicking your feet under the water.

"we're getting older, guys. things are changing, whether i want them to or not," you say, finally hearing how the words sound on your lips. jeonghan and wonwoo both stare at you, enamored with how you look as the moonlight hits your skin.

"you just realized that?" jeonghan teases, and wonwoo cringes, fingers going to the bridge of his nose as he grimaces. you laugh aloud, reveling in how good it feels to do so.

"seriously, though—we expected this, didn't we? high school is over. now, we're heading to college. if you ask me, now's our time to live it up." jeonghan shrugs, trying to lighten the mood. his brown eyes dart to you, trying to measure your reaction.

even though jeonghan's statement is true, it doesn't sound very good. you have the same look in your eyes, and wonwoo notices it too, hand going out to hold yours as he looks at you from behind his lenses.

"i know you're going to miss school. even though we joked about how much we wouldn't—" wonwoo pauses, sighing as he softly smiles at you. "we started crying the moment we received our diplomas."

even jeonghan can't deny it, chuckling in embarrassment to himself as you glance over at him, smiling. it was true—jeonghan was the main one saying how much he hated coming to school, but the moment his name was called to walk across the stage, he took one good look at you and wonwoo and started tearing up.

"i hate you, wonu," jeonghan frowns playfully, and you laugh again, voice ringing like a chorus of angels to jeonghan and wonwoo.

"i'm gonna miss you guys," you say after a few moments of silence, and both jeonghan and wonwoo go silent at that thought, hearts breaking at the thought of you being without them.

"i'm not leaving you. i would never even think about leaving you." wonwoo says with a finality in his voice, brown eyes serious as he stares at you. jeonghan places a hand on your thigh, nodding as the usual mirth in his eyes fades for a split second. "me either."

all three of you knew there was some unresolved tension between you: ever since you guys met in middle school, there was something between jeonghan and wonwoo that related to you. you were the reason jeonghan and wonwoo became friends in the first place, and they owed their friendship to you and then some.

you had shown them both something that both were convinced they wouldn't learn without you.

you had shown them what love felt like.

the air suddenly felt heavy, and jeonghan couldn't look away from you, throat bobbing as he watched your pretty eyes watch the ripples dance through the water. wonwoo watched you too, silently studying the slope of your nose and the length of your eyelashes as you smiled to yourself.

time seemed to still, and you with it, frozen in a place of innocence as jeonghan and wonwoo watched at you from the outside in.

this would be a distant memory in the future, a time when you'd look back and joyously recall the awkward moments you shared with jeonghan and wonwoo. awkward moments that were truly just simple, tender moments that neither jeonghan nor wonwoo would forget (or care to admit).

for now, though, they were content with watching you dip your feet in the pool the night of graduation.

[highway-143]

savior- yang jungwon

genre: fluff, smut, enemies to lovers, vampire au, answer to this ask

pairing: vampire!jungwon x fem!reader

taglist: @urlocalmultigroupfan @minkilicious @vrusha01 @shyoko (open taglist)

word count: 2.9k

now playing: still monster- enhypen

a.n- loll this is my first wonnie fic so im kinda excited lmao... also uhhh i had to bring some of &team in to this one like how could i not 😫😫😫

tw: mentions of pedophilia, profanity, gang rape (ugh its part of the plot ToT), fingering, general vampire activities, probs more idk

(mostly proofread)

all scenarios are fake and are not meant to represent any idol in the story.

(㇏(•̀ᢍ•́)ノ)

"when's the project due?"

minjae scrolls through her phone, trying to find the assignment on canvas. all the other students in your class are milling around the room, talking with their partners and figuring out the right topic.

"uhh..." she clicks a few more times. "april 14th. two weeks. we definitely have enough time."

you sigh, tapping your fingers on the desk. "what do you want it to be about?"

"i dont know..." she murmurs. "maybe world war II? that's always a safe option."

"we could try the vietnam war?"

"what about the holocaust specifically? like dive in depth to that." minjae chews on her fingernails, a habit you quickly discovered since you met her.

you grab her hand and pull it away from her mouth. "you need to stop. but yeah, that sounds like a good topic."

you feel a presence to your side, and see yuma leaning on the end of the long table.

"what's up?"

he smiles at minjae and turns to look at you. "so, y/n... are you free on saturday?"

"yeah, why?" you look at minjae, and she gives you her 'excited eyes'

"i thought you might like to come with me to a basketball game. the team is playing that day."

you grin, a little too elated. you had known yuma for a while now, you two were friends at best.

"yeah, that sounds awesome! text me the details!"

he smirks, nods, and walks away, leaving you and minjae giggling at each other.

(㇏(•̀ᢍ•́)ノ)

minjae sits on the edge of your bed, rambling about her statistics teacher.

thank god you didn't take that class. from what she said, he sounded like an asshole.

"- and he expects us to understand how to solve the questions without actually teaching us how to do them! he sucks!"

you laugh and flop onto your bed, closing your eyes and smiling.

"yo bro.... who got you smiling like that??" says minjae.

you giggle, kicking your legs into the air. "yumaaaaa..." you draw out the last syllable, a stupid grin on your face.

minjae chuckles. "girl, you're so down bad for him."

"i know!" you say, throwing a pillow at her.

she throws it back at you. "i still can't believe he asked you out!!"

"me too! i can't wait for saturday, oh my godddd."

"only three more days!"

you both scream, the shrieks turning to a fit of giggles as you roll around on the bed.

(㇏(•̀ᢍ•́)ノ)

"hey, what do you think you're doing?"

you were about to sit in a chair in your chem class, a random one that wasn't occupied.

"uh... sitting down?" you say to the boy standing in front of you. he had thick black hair, bangs framing his face that probably would have been cute if not for the scowl he was giving you.

"no, you aren't. " he grabs your arm and pulls you away from the chair, sitting down in it before you could react.

he smirks and props his feet up on the desk, nodding to you. "thanks princess."

you stutter, confused. "um... what the fuck? who the hell are you?"

he laughs. "jungwon. and this is my seat. i sit here every single class."

you roll your eyes. "okay bud. whatever."

jerk.

(㇏(•̀ᢍ•́)ノ)

you keep bumping into jungwon after that.

it was almost like he was following you.

he was at the food court entrance when you walked in, outside the bathrooms when you needed to touch up your makeup, working at the starbucks you decided to get a drink from.

everywhere.

you were relieved for the break on saturday

you and minjae were in your dorm, she helped you pick out an outfit, cargo jeans, a baby tee, and a light grey hoodie. you were touching up your makeup when you heard the knock rattle the door.

minjae opened the door to reveal yuma, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.

you shot each other a quick look.

he was handsome.

"hey yuma!" you say, clipping in your second earring. "just a sec!"

he grins and leans against the doorframe, watching you zip ypur hoodie halfway up in the mirror.

"you look really pretty," he says, looking you up and down. "damn"

you blush and he steps to the side so you can walk out the door.

you glance back at minjae, who is jumping up and down, mouth open in a silent scream of excitement.

yuma walks you through the campus to the stadium on the other side.

"-so yeah, i think drake is the best modern day rapper."

you laugh. "uh, i'm pretty sure that title goes to kendrick. i mean, isn't drake a pedo?"

he grins. "fair. but his songs are catchier than kendrick's."

"oh, so not like us is just being thrown to the side?!" you act offended, covering your mouth with your hand as if you were in a 50's movie.

"okay, i'll give him that one. it's an earworm for sure though"

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)

the game was amazing. your school won, leaving your end of the court screaming and cheering. everyone was high on the energy from the game.

yuma walked with you in the darkness, staying close to your side.

"over here, i know a shortcut."

he walks down an alley. you hesitate before following, unsure of whether you should go the same way.

"yuma, are you sure that's the right way?"

"im sure!" he calls, waving his arm for you to follow him.

you take a few reluctant steps between the two tall buildings on either side of the walkway.

and then you hear a rustle behind you.

you look for yuma.

he's gone.

"yu-!" a hand claps over your mouth.

you try to scream as fingers bury into your waist, try to call for help as you feel yourself get carried deeper into the alley.

but your efforts are futile.

you bite down on the hand covering your mouth.

"ah shit!" says the voice of a man. "little bitch!"

he slaps you on the cheek.

you're pinned against the wall, two boys pinning you by your arms against the rough bricks.

the one who covered your mouth is in front of you. tall, fairly attractive with dark eyes and black hair.

"nice job yuma. got us a pretty little slut to use."

"yuma!" you yell, head spinning to see him standing a few feet away. "what are you doing?!"

he laughs, a smirk forming on his face. "naive, aren't you?"

he watches as the one in front of you steps closer and places a hand on your jaw.

"so beautiful... oh this is going to be fun"

you whimper as his hands drag down your chest, manhandling your breasts and pulling your shirt up. you feel tears start to form in your eyes.

"please don't." you plead, arms straining against your prison between the two others. "please"

the tall one laughs. "nice try, princess."

you sob when he pinches your nipples, your body squirming under his touch.

he runs his hands to your jeans, popping the button.

"let's see that pretty little cunt, huh baby?"

you kick him, foot landing right in his stomach.

he flinches and grabs his chest, laughing as he looks up at your teary eyes.

"big mistake, bitch"

he yanks down your pants while the two others hold your legs steadily.

you feel the rough fabric fall to your ankles and the tall one's hands knead your thighs.

"yuma, she's fucking sexy"

yuma walks closer, grabbing your chin and forcing your tear-ridden eyes to look at his.

"you're so lucky nicholas knows how to treat a girl. if it was any of the others you'd already be split apart on one of their dicks."

you sob even harder, your body numb with fear as nicholas hooks a finger under your black panties and drags them down your bruising thighs.

"nicho, go easy on her." says the one on your left. "save some of her for the rest of us."

"the little slut's gonna take what we give her maki, don't you worry."

nicholas drags a finger through your folds, watching your body writhe under his touch.

"stay still."

you stop, afraid. he grips your hip with one hand while the other works around your cunt.

"good fucking girl" says yuma, and he crashes his lips onto yours, capturing every sound that you made as nicho's finger slid into your pussy.

you try to pull away from yuma, try to move your arms, but you're too well restrained.

nicho's finger curls inside of you, and you cry impossibly harder.

and then they all freeze.

nicholas stops moving his fingers.

yuma pulls away.

even maki and the other boy holding you down grip your limbs less tight.

because at the end of the alley, theres a figure.

it looks like another boy. at first, you were afraid that he was there to help your attackers.

but their reactions weren't ones that were a response to assistance.

the guy starts running towards where you were, his features slowly becoming more and more visible.

jungwon.

you almost start crying more.

"what the fuck is going on here?" he grabs yuma by the bicep, pulling him away from you.

"y/n?"

you nod, tears streaking down your red cheeks.

"this doesn't concern you" says nicholas, his face a mixture of guilt and anger as he stands up and pulls his hand away from your cunt. "you can leave."

"no, i think you can." jungwon turns to maki. "take your fucking hands off of her or i swear to god i'm going to chop them off and shove them so far up your ass that you can taste them in your bloodthirsty throats."

the one on your right laughs. "yeah, we're the bloodthirsty ones."

"fuma's right. you're the damn vampire here, don't think we can't sense it." says maki.

"okay, and i'm not the ones raping her. get your fucking hands off."

yuma scoffs. "no. we found her first. you can have her when we're done."

jungwon slaps yuma across the face, his fist plunging into maki's nose only seconds later.

he pulls you from fuma's arms and drags you behind him. you watch in horror as nicholas grabs his wrist and punches his stomach.

jungwon groans, doubling over. all you can do is stand in shock as you watch the four close in on jungwon.

but they don't.

because he reaches for fuma, grabs him by the shoulders, and sinks his teeth into his neck.

you gasp, watching as blood spilled from fuma's neck and the others pause out of shock.

fuma goes limp, his body falling to the ground as jungwon licks his lips and wipes away blood with the sleeve of his hoodie.

"who's next?"

the others take one look at each other and bolt out of the alley. jungwon chuckles as he watches yuma trip over his feet.

you fall to the ground, knees giving out under you. sobs rack through your body, shoulders shaking as jungwon kneels beside you.

"hey.... hey, y/n.... god, you look terrible." he rubs your back taking your hand in his. "i mean, not terrible.... just hurt."

you can't stop crying, your breathing uneven and erratic next to jungwon.

"let's go home, come on." he pulls you up to stand with him, grabbing your pants and bringing them back up your legs.

you drag your shirt down to cover your chest, utterly embarrased and exposed.

the tears fall in rivulets down your face. your hair is a mess, mascara smeared and makeup splotchy.

jungwon puts an arm over your shoulder and walks you out of the alley, taking slow steps to match your pace.

people stare as you walk by, disheveled and crying. the smeared blood on jungwon's lower lip didn't help either.

he knocked on your door, and minjae opened it with excitement.

that turned quickly into fear.

"y/n! what the- fuck, are you okay?!" you sob louder as jungwon walks you to your bed.

"i'll tell you later, hang on." he lets you sit on the mattress, taking your jacket off your shoulders.

minjae hands him a plastic water bottle and some pills.

"melatonin and tylenol." she practically whispers.

jungwon uncaps and hands you the bottle, then the medicine.

he and minjae watch as you slowly drink, handing the bottle back to jungwon.

"i-" your voice cracks. "i... think i'll go to bed now. thank you."

jungwon nods with sad eyes, pulling back the covers of your bed and letting you slide underneath the cool sheets.

he watches as you curl up, reaching for a pillow and holding it in your arms as you bury your head into the soft cushion.

you let him stay, sitting next to you and rubbing your knee over the blankets. he looks at minjae when you fall asleep, and she stares at him like she wants to kill him.

"what the actual fuck happened to her?"

"i found her in an alley, there were four guys holding her down, starting to rape her."

minjae sits down in her chair, eyes wide and mouth open in fear.

"who were they? what happened to yuma?"

"he..." jungwon looks back at you, fast asleep.

peaceful.

"he was one of them."

minjae looks like she's about to smack somebody. "oh my god, that little motherfucking piece of shit. i should've known."

jungwon sighs. "no, nobody could've. he's never done this before."

the two sit in silence. jungwon reaches for your face and brushes a piece of hair away from where it was resting on your nose.

"who are you?"

"jungwon. i'm in her chemistry class. i work at the starbucks down the road."

she nods. "i've seen you before..."

he watches you snore, your arms curling into the pillow as if it were a real person.

"i should go. i'll come back to check on her tomorrow."

minjae sighs. "okay. see ya. thank you for bringing her home though."

"of course."

(㇏^.ˬˬ.^ノ)

minjae doesn't leave your side the next day.

she sat with you while you laid on your bed, trying your hardest not to cry when you thought about the way yuma betrayed you, the way you were pinned to the wall and touched.

the way nicholas invaded you.

jungwon came to visit in the afternoon.

he brought a coffee, the same one you ordered before, and a bag of candy.

you gave him a quiet hug when he walked in, arms wrapping around his chest in a silent thanks.

he was taken aback, but quickly pulled you closer and held you tight. his hand threaded through your hair, rubbing the back of your head while your tears soaked into his shirt.

minjae mouths a 'thank you' to jungwon. he nods, and she intterupts your hug.

"i'm gonna go run some errands. i'll be back in a few hours." she says, grabbing her purse and keys and walking out the door.

"how are you feeling?" jungwon asks, pulling away to look at your makeupless face.

"better."

"that's good... i brought you this!" he says, smiling and handing you the coffee and assorted chocolates. "i would've come sooner but i had to work."

you grin. "that's sweet, thank you. oh, and i meant to ask you, what the hell was last night?"

"what do you mean?" he sits on your desk chair, spinning it to face where you were on the bed.

"what do i mean? what the fuck you did to fuma! is he fucking dead? where in the world did that come from?!"

jungwon sighs, head drooping down and elbows resting on his knees.

"you promise to actually listen?"

you nod, a little nervous.

"so uh.... yeah, you heard them. vampire. uhh... they're right, i am. there are only a few of us out there, i've only ever met one, and he lives in barcelona. but the guys that... attacked... you, they kind of.... hunt us? and i guess they knew i was watching you and thought that would be an easy way to get to me."

you look at him like he had lost his mind.

he probably had.

"you were watching me?"

he laughs. "that's what sticks out the most there?"

you nod. "i mean, you have evidence, it's kinda obvious by the way you fucking ate fuma. so yeah, unless you want me to cry and scream and throw a fit then i want to know why you were watching me."

"i mean... okay," he chuckles. "i guess i liked you... you were cool, funny, pretty with an even prettier smile. so... i guess i became a stalker."

you giggle. "a cute one though"

he smirks "so i'm cute? chat, she thinks im cute!" he does a little dance in the chair, and you feel yourself smile.

"there it is!"

"there what is?"

"the smile that made me fall for you in the first place. i thought i wouldn't get to see it again." he says, eyes softening.

"i think only you can bring it out of me for now."

(㇏^.ˬˬ.^ノ)

a.n- chat i think i cooked but idk.... i think it could be better but my motivation is slowly dwindling help ToT

anyways ilysm ty for reading (if you finished it haha) and please like/reblog if you liked it!

[blueishspace]

Hero, Villain God 73

(Prev) (Next) (First)

*Grian's pov*

Well, that could have probably gone better, you didn't expect Pearl to grab you like that and you definitely didn't that punch... And really, what an achievement it is, to anger wisdom incarnate... And It's not like she was wrong, you did get a bit too into it.

Not your wisest (eh) moment though, you gained almost nothing from it except for Santa Perla trusting you even less then before...and a punch to the face.

You walk home to your flat, the road back feels a lot longer but It's not that far away from the garden and you really don't want to teleport around right now. So you walk and as you walk you begin to think.

Things aren't as they seem, Pearl knows it and so do you. You definitely shouldn't have pushed her like that, It's like you were filled with emotion not yours. Maybe it was Pearl's... You are in front of your front door, you were so lost in thought you almost didn't notice.

Mumbo is home, that's another surprise, he sees you and immediately begins panicking, not unusual for Mumbo but you really don't know what he's panicking about.

"Grian!? What happened?"

You tilt your head to the side, what's that supposed to mean? Does he know?

"What do you mean?"

"Your face!? You're covered in blood??"

You are? ...oh! The punch... you forgot to fix that, did you walk around the city with a messed up face? Embarassing. Wait a second...Blood? You raise your hand to your face, there, there is blood dripping from your nose, you didn't notice at all.

"Oh It's... I hit my face. Hard."

"I can see that!?? How???"

For a supervillain Mumbo sure knows how to fret like a mother hen with her chicks... Actually, you don't like that comparison, you are billions of years older then him. He should be the baby chicken and you the mother- wait, no, you hate that too... You should fill his room with chickens.

"Grian!?! How did you hit your face???"

Huh? ... You got distracted, what was he saying?

...

Oh! Right, your nose. You need an excuse!

"I walked into a pole while distracted, I was looking at my phone, don't worry about it."

Wait, you left your phone at home this morning. You hope he didn't notice.

"Don't worry about it!? How- how did you even- how did a pole even manage to break your nose??"

It's broken? You can't tell. It's actually quite hard to see when you have only one pair of eyes and not billions. Still, broken? Just like that? Human bodies are so weak...

...Wait, Pearl broke your nose? Damn, that was a good punch.

"Don't worry, It's not too bad, doesn't really hurt"

"That's not- you can't possibly try to convince me that this doesn't hurt"

He motions wildly at your face, you don't really appreciate it. Then he looks as though he has an idea, then seems to reconsider it before sighing in defeat.

"F-follow me, I think I can help"

You do, you have no reason not to. You wonder where he's bringing you.

This is the secret lab.

The supervillain secret lab.

The supervillain secret lab ehere he works on all of his villain projects, where GRUMBOT is.

You have been here as Mother Spire multiple times but...he doesn't know that you're Mother Spore, you know that he doesn't, so what in the world is he doing dragging what he thinks is a civilian into his secret lair? You could look into his mind for 100% certainty but...eh, you don't really need to, you understand by just looking at him. He's panicking and your civilian persona has given him the impression you won't connect the dots. Still, you'll have to keep playing the part of the confused and dumb roomate.

"Where are we Mumbo?"

He doesn't answer, instead he takes out a liquid before handing it out to you.

"Grian? Can you hold this while I get something to help me fix your nose?"

You nod, he nods back and leaves to find some bandages...

So Mumbo does care about you, quite a bit considering the gamble he has just taken. Good, it might end up being very useful in the future.

And, if nothing else, it will be entertaining.

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 79 Gorilla Posting

Here we go, dear void. Hakuri, a lore dump that took me forever to translate, and some long-desired insight into a named character! Editor's Note: First Page: (none) Last Page: 急げっ！！！ [isoge!!!] "Hurry!!!"

Hakuri and... a New Name!

He learned nothing...

My boy! My little guy! The character I'm completely, totally normal about... he's back!! Unfortunately, he's still pressuring himself big-time.

I don't know how the official English will translate this, but on the first page, Hakuri is literally asking Kudou for a "role". Not just a task he can do, but a specific function (役目 [yakume]). So despite his much-appreciated silly faces this chapter, he's still in the depths of his self-worth issues.

Wait, who's Kudou? That's our Kamunabi higher-up with the gas mask! Their surname is 区堂, with 区 [ku] for ward/district and 堂 [dou] for hall/temple/shrine. Not very descriptive but it imparts a sense of dignity and being a small part of something greater. Kudou-san uses the neutral/polite pronoun watashi so their gender isn't really known at this time. Might end up with another Hiyuki situation by assuming y'know?

Hakuri, though... he and Chihiro care so much about each other. He better take care of himself this time (he won't).

I can't wait to see them reunite.

Because...

And so it comes to pass (along with many cute expressions)...

Hakuri's slightly nerfed right now as a consequence of how his sorcery was restored, but he should still be able to use his Storehouse to withhold the Shinuchi from the Hishaku. After that, I'm really, truly feeling like he's going to get kidnapped or some other horrible thing will happen to him. He can get kidnapped by the mole/traitor, arm the Master Swordsman on request (yes it's sealed but it can also be unsealed), lose access to his sorcery by overdoing it again... any number of things. No matter what, he's going to be a big player for the climax of this arc and I hope he doesn't suffer too much for it. He's already been through so much.

The poor guy is really hard on himself too:

...

Uruha's death panel there is weighing so damn heavily on him. So despite him thanking Kudou for the Kamunabi saving him, he's still laser-focused on being useful, probably to make up even just the slightest bit for what he feels he did to Uruha. Lord knows what he'll do if he learns that Chihiro technically died because of him too. Hakuri, it wasn't your fault at all...!

That's what the scuff marks on his face are about, though. He slept for 3 days straight but he's still not completely restored. That's how badly he wore himself out and his mindset that led him to do it is worse than ever. Hakuri is absolutely desperate to do anything he can, and it's probably not going to end well once more.

You don't have to be useful, Hakuri. You don't have to be given a role to fulfill. You're worthy of love just as you are. Please, let him learn this one day soon... but at least we leave off with him on a silly note.

Go!

Hakuri being unable to calm down is so cute; he's always giving 110%. The day where he allows himself to relax before collapsing into a coma will be a precious one!

Kamunabi Lore Dump

Real depiction of the team I wish I could work with to translate these text-heavy chapters.

The random guy we followed in the middle section of this chapter gave us a bit of information. Thank you, random guy.

So the former name of the organisation was "Counter-Sorcery Forces" and used to have a strength-based hierarchy. Congratulations, powerscalers! You have a new tool to help you in your debates.

I assume the official English will translate the military ranks on that paper, and yay I was right. Cool beans. Keep them in mind!

These aren't still in use but it's still useful to draw comparisons. Other than that, I have kind of a hard time believing that 24 people with fighting experience -who are also expected to be the first line of defence in situations just like this chapter!- are no match for three guys. Maybe it's just Samuraishaku alone? Even Azami's got some respect for him after all.

Still, it's not the first time we've seen these "Dead Willow Brothers" (死柳兄弟, shigyuukyoudai).

Chapter 57, as a refresher.

The older brother was the one throwing chains to support Hiruhiko here most likely. So hooray that was cleared up!

I wonder if the other Hishaku team has mercenaries too or if we'll finally get a clear sighting of "Jane Hishaku" and the last member we haven't seen yet. Maybe a surprising character will appear as reinforcements too. There's a lot to speculate about!

My Dearly Beloved Gorilla Wife

Someone draw him crushing a watermelon between his bare thighs PLEASE

His first name at last! 奏士郎 [soushirou]! 奏 [sou] for play music/perform/report/petition, 士 [shi] for gentleman/scholar/samurai, and 郎 [rou] for son/young man (yes it's the same kanji for what Ro of the Masumi goes by).

Azami is a man of contrasts, apparently. He speaks softly compared to the rest of the male cast (aside from Kyora) and packs a gigantic fucking punch too. I love him. He's not the traitor, he's my wife. My mind-bogglingly strong wife that probably rose to the highest echelons of the Kamunabi on raw strength alone. Seriously, I don't think I can possibly love him any more than I already do. His fighting style is to cast "fist" in his opponents faces! Leave the fancy footwork and tactics to Shiba, Azami's just going to rely on his brawn to get things done. Would still like to know what his sorcery that involves him pinching some kind of energy between his fingers is, though.

As for the Azami traitor theory, I suppose people who want to cling to it can take comfort in the fact that he wasn't given an alibi. He's absolutely furious about what happened to the Rokuhiras and had to ask Chihiro for the details. But he still could have provided the information that let the Hishaku infiltrate in the first place, I guess. The only thing that would make sense to me is if he was aiding the Hishaku out of sympathy and they misled/lied to him about their intentions. But at this point I think even Kudou is more suspicious than him.

Remember, only four people in the Kamunabi's higher ups helped Kunishige hide after the war: Azami, Kudou, Prince Nez, and the eyepatch guy we haven't seen in ages. I think we're supposed to be playing a guessing game about which one of those four it is right now.

Anyway, my wife's innocent. Let's do a minor TL note instead.

Sauceless typesetting strikes again.

圧倒的殴殺力 [attouteki ousatsuryoku] is pretty over-the-top in how much it says but it's along the lines of "overwhelming lethal brute force" while the Ruby next to it simply says パワ- (power). Speaking of nitpicks, though...

C'mon, man.

I don't expect the vertical text to be kept but the huge bold font used in JP has a bigger impact than the polite font used in English. I don't know. I just feel like it's a better match for the ridiculous setting here- we've got dudes rocking out on taiko drums and a shamisen in the background, not giving a restrained performance y'know? People enter, but only one leaves alive! This is the mother fucking Thunderdome in the middle of Kamunabi HQ! Don't question or downplay it, go all-in on the ridiculousness! There's something I want to say about this chapter that might help anyone who sees a bunch of Azami fan art with the title of the chapter: 曲者 [kusemono]. 曲者 has a ton of possible meanings but some of them likely apply to Azami himself too. "Villain", what it was translated to in the official, is perfectly valid (as are similes like "ruffian" and "knave"). But it can also mean peculiar person/stubborn fellow, something that is more than it seems, expert/master, and monster/phantom/spectre. I hope we keep learning more about Azami as this fight goes on!

Lastly...

What in the heck are you wearing my dude?

First up, that's not Samuraishaku's real face, that's the men-yoroi for his helmet- including the moustache. Pray it breaks during the fight so we can see what he really looks like.

Next, this is the second time we are having a fight against one of Kunishige's killers. Hatshaku keeps escaping but maybe we'll learn more about this guy. I feel like this is a good time to get more information on the raid itself if nothing else.

Lastly, only bringing this up because I've seen some "what if he's a different person that wasn't there at Kunishige's murder" questions because he's not wearing the suit we saw in chapter 45. Yes, this is definitely the guy who only had his left leg in frame during chapter 2. This framing makes it unmistakable:

What's under that long bang?!

Azami sees the samurai guy

Thinks about how he asked Chihiro for details of the incident over two flashback panels, zooming in on the guy's leg in the second

Notices the same leg armour in the present right in front of him

Gorilla mode activated

Clenches his fist and says they "meet at last", clearly itching to fight

Wherever Azami's loyalties lie, he clearly cares a great deal about Chihiro and Kunishige. He's fucking pissed about his friend's death and is ready to cave one of the killer's faces in.

Alright life is steamrolling me so that's all I've got this week. Be safe and treat yourself one day this week while we wait to see if there's a perspective shift. Back to Chihiro and Samura or more of this Azami & Hakuri goodness? I know what I really want but I'll take what we get.

[redux-iterum]

There haven’t seemed to be any strongly neurodivergent coded cats in the story yet (unless I missed them LOL that’s very possible for me), so I was curious! Would their clan mates be more accommodating to whatever they struggle with, or would it be seen more as a personal failure since they don’t have concepts for these things? I know that many end up as seers, but surely others wouldn’t fit in that role too. I know they are very community focused and don’t expect everyone to be good at everything— but would those with social deficits, attention span issues, or sensory issues end up in conflict with their clan mates? Would a clan cat understand tics or stims? I know that it probably wouldn’t be explored in detail in any of the books, since the focus is more on the communities at large than on one or two individual characters like in canon, but I like to make up my own cats with two of my friends based on this lore and I would love to hear a little about how neurodivergent cats interact with their community outside of the seer role!

I'll give you this for now: a major character in the third arc will be neurodivergent. I hesitate to use any specific labels, because these cats don't experience mental disorders or conditions the same way humans do (both for plot and worldbuilding reasons), so I won't be using them except as a comparison. I guess the best I can say is that this character will lean very hard into traits you'll see most often in autism, even if they aren't one-to-one with it. Along the way, as we plot out the second arc, we may add in more divergent characters (or alter characters to be divergent), but I won't declare it as a certain thing, in case we don't or can't get to it.

Now, for the lore questions! I'll give a rundown of the big information here, so we have a main post to link to people when they want more context:

We've mentioned before that conditions that affect the brain are not super easy for the Clans to handle. They can understand a broken leg, but (for lack of a classier term) a broken mind is invisible, and you can't just fix it with licking a wound clean or giving someone prey until they can get up and go hunt themselves. This is mostly in the cases where one hallucinates, or is severely mentally handicapped, or struggles with suicidal thoughts or depression - the Clans do not have therapists or a rank specifically built to handle such issues. The best they often can do is provide physical care and work around these disorders to keep the cat alive and as happy as they can be in the Clans. That doesn't always include becoming a seer.

Gooseleaf was extremely lucky that he happened to be in tune with the spirit world and became a seer apprentice, otherwise his schizophrenic episodes would have landed him in the elder's den as soon as he got his name. There have been plenty of challenged cats (and other disorders are included in this) that were just regular warriors, and some became elders quickly in their lives (though there have been perma-apprentices before, but they're treated as elders are all the same). It all depends on the severity of their condition and how it affects their quality of life.

As far as the Clans are concerned, you do the best you can to contribute to your community, and if you simply can't because you're mentally a kit or beginning apprentice, or you can't do much more than sit there and stare at nothing, then it becomes time for the community to contribute to your survival. Often, this includes retiring someone early, or limiting them to staying near or in camp if a caretaker isn't around. In some cases, these cats do end up going to the Houses - not that anyone wants to do that, per se, but sometimes it's just better to let the apprentice who can't learn basic hunting or fighting techniques go be a kittypet, where they'll be safe and warm and cared for their entire life.

The way a Clan decides if a cat needs to leave the territories entirely is pretty simple: if the cat is in significant enough danger from their issues that they need a guard with them at all times, even when they're in camp, it's just not a life anyone considers worth living. The Clans may have contempt for kittypets, but they're not fools; they know that kittypets live longer than any other class of cat in the known world, and they don't have to struggle. The logic then follows that their challenged Clanmate won't have to struggle either, so it's best to ensure their safety and happiness and take them to the Houses. Not anyone's favorite thing to do, but they consider it for the best.

Now, for less intense disorders, such as cat-ADHD or cat-anxiety (simply referred to as "nervousness"), where the cat can function but just has a few "quirks", no one would probably think twice about them as anything but that cat being that cat. Little Cherrypaw is just a fidgety molly who's easily distracted, she can't help that. Better get her a mentor who can keep her active and help her focus in her best way. Oh, and Ravenkit? Yes, yes, he's scared by default, so let's all approach him carefully and back off when he starts to shake. Hey, don't get upset with Mosstail, she's wandering in her mind again. You know she does that sometimes. Don't shake her, she'll get upset and yell. Just let her come back when she's ready.

The nice thing about Clan life is that the community adjusts to whatever issues crop up as quickly and as well as it can, because they need to work together to survive. This can cause friction sometimes, yes, as we've seen in CL with Bluestar - some things are harder than others to work around. But warriors care deeply for each other by default, and they'll do whatever it takes to keep each other alive and happy. If that means taking extra precautions to keep a wobbly cat standing, or letting an apprentice sprint off their energy until they can come back and focus again, or learning how to speak in sign language with a deaf warrior, then they've got no problems with that.

[lilithrosexoxo]

Ch. 1 Exposure

Summary— Caleb is finally back in your life, something you thought would never happen but things aren't the same anymore. You're both different, secrets are kept from one another, feelings are hidden. It's like a blockage between you two now. However, feelings bubble up to the surface after Caleb learns about your relationship with Sylus. What will happen when the truth finally comes out?

SMUT WARNING (18+ only): Porn With Plot, Fluff and Smut, Vaginal Sex, Masturbation

Pairing: Caleb x Reader

Song Inspiration:

1st Half: Been Like this by Doja Cat

2nd Half (Spicy Part): Exposure by Dram

A/N: Y’all prepared for the next chapter? How do we feel about AppleCrow?

W/C: 3783

“Caleb please harder”, you whine underneath him.

He obeys as his thrusts grow erratic, “Fuck Y/N I’m close. Hah- I’m gonna cum! I’m gonna- fuck”, he grunts out as his eyes fly open.

“Fuck!”, he shouts as he cums in his boxers making a sticky mess. He’s panting heavily as he comes down from his high and he realizes what he’s just done. Not only has he defiled you in his dreams yet again but he’s even cum in his boxers like he’s a teenage boy. He groans at the realization. Caleb has loved you for years but ever since you’ve been with him in Skyhaven it’s been extremely obvious how much he yearns for you and how pent up he is. He’s even taken your used underwear from the dirty laundry basket and not only licked up any remnants but also found himself jerking off with the lace caressing his cock completely drenching them in his cum. Shame hits him like a truck afterwards, here you are trusting him and he can’t stop thinking about you being a whimpering mess underneath him. About you finally becoming his. He sighs to himself as he gets off the bed and pulls off his sticky underwear grimacing at the feeling. Well he better go shower and wash off all the evidence before you’re up.

xoxo

It’s noon and you still haven’t left your room. He figures you’re probably oversleeping once again and that it’s time to wake you up.

He knocks on your door gently, “Pip-squeak it’s 12 it’s time to get up”.

He waits for a few and hears no response and sighs. He opens the door and is captivated by the sight that greets him. Sunlight is filtering through the room and bathing you in a warm glow. Your hair frames your face perfectly like a canvas with your face being the masterpiece. Your covers are thrown off and you’re only dressed in one of his tees and from the looks of your perky nipples poking against it no bra. His eyes wander lower and he can see that you’ve also forgone panties with the way your body is positioned and oh fuck you're wet. He can see your puffy pussy lips glistening in the sunlight and it makes his throat go dry instantly in the mood for something wet and creamy. He licks his lips as he ogles you until he realizes he’s watching you sleep like some creep. He goes to wake you up until he hears you moan and rub your thighs together. He freezes in his steps as he hears you mumble something in your sleep. His brain short circuits at that moment. Were you dreaming of someone? Who could you possibly be dreaming about? He decides to wake you up before he goes too far. He cups your face as he calls your name gently.

You open your eyes and can’t tell if you’re still dreaming or not. Caleb is in front of you looking just like he did in your dream well except not in the throes of passion. Also Sylus is missing. You rub your thighs together as you remember being sandwiched between them so close to an orgasm, “Caleb”, you say in a sultry voice that has him throbbing in his pants. 

“Come on Pip-squeak it’s time to wake up, I'll make you breakfast. I’ll even make you some toast with that apple jam you love”, he says winking at you.

You groan your dream is definitely over and you were so close to cumming. You launch your pillow at him smacking him right in the face.

“You jerk, I was in the middle of a good dream”, you whine pulling his shirt down after realizing how exposed you were praying he didn’t notice the slick dripping down your thighs.

“Yeah I bet you were”, he mumbles and you freeze. Did… did he hear you? You feel heat rush to your face in embarrassment. God please kill me now if he heard me moan his name. You’d be mortified and would never be able to look at him the same.

“What did you say!?”, you croak out.

“Nothing, come on it’s time to get dressed Pip-squeak it’s already noon”.

“Okay okay I’m getting up, get out so I can get dressed you perv”, you say shoving him playfully off the bed.

Caleb leaves with a chuckle while you get up and get dressed. You bring his shirt to your face inhaling, it still smells like him. You glide a finger through your sticky folds and rub on your clit still sensitive from your dream.

“I don’t hear you getting up Pip-squeak do I have to drag you out of bed?”, you hear from down the hall.

You groan you love Caleb but he’s really killing your mood this morning, afternoon, whatever time it was. Was it too much to just want to finish where your dream left off? You rise out of the bed stretching all the kinks out of your stiff joints. You decide to throw on a simple white and blue floral mini dress forgoing a bra or panties before making your way to the bathroom and getting ready. 

You join Caleb in the kitchen not long after the smell of bacon and apple jam enticing you like a siren song. You sit on a stool at the kitchen island admiring Caleb from afar. He’s dressed in gray sweats and a white tee and you admire how his biceps flex with his movements. You don’t want to be caught ogling so you direct your attention to your phone noticing you have an unread text from Sylus. You smile as you read the text knowing it's exactly what you need and bite your lip before responding.

“Hey Pip-squeak, who you texting?”, Caleb asks as he snatches your phone out of your hand, surprising you. You didn’t even hear him, the sneaky bastard.

“Caleb give it back!”, you shout.

Caleb feels his left eye twitch and swears he sees red. Kitten? Ride? Release!? Who the hell is this guy? Is this guy you were dreaming about? Just the thought of you with another man has him going haywire. He feels himself grip your phone and has to stop his evol from completely crushing it but he’s tempted just to wipe any interaction with this Sylus guy. Wait Sylus? This can't possibly be the same Sylus that’s the leader of Onychinus? He heard rumors about you in the N109 zone from his contacts that had their eyes on you while he was gone but did you really entangle yourself with him? How much has changed since he’s been gone?

“Caleb?”, you question as you see him go eerily still after glancing at your phone. You know he has a tendency to be quite overprotective of you but your life is your life he can’t control every aspect of it. Besides you’ve long resigned on trying to get Caleb to see you as anything more than a close friend. The details of your relationship with Sylus was none of his business.

“Sylus? Is this Sylus the reason you’ve been smiling so hard?”, he questions with a lift of his brow trying to mask his growing anger. He hopes you can’t see how much this is affecting him. He's damn near losing his mind just thinking of you on top of another man. But the leader of Onychinus? He may just have to visit the leader himself.

You pout and fuck if he doesn’t just want to grab you by the waist and kiss your lips.

You quickly snatch your phone while he’s distracted.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business”, you say, turning away from him. 

He feels guilt wrack through his body. Before the explosion you two shared everything with each other but now it feels like there’s a chasm between you two that can’t be bridged no matter how hard he tries.

“No Pip-squeak, it is my business. Especially if that’s who I think it is. You shouldn’t trust someone like that, he’s dangerous and you definitely shouldn’t put yourself in a vulnerable position with him”, he says in a condescending tone.

At that you snap. How dare he judge Sylus, that man has been there for some of your darkest nights. When you were plagued by nightmares about the explosion it was Sylus who held you close and comforted you. When the panic attacks would come and all you could think about was how Caleb and Gran were gone he was the one that held your hands and helped you ground back to reality. You feel emotions bubbling to the surface. The silent rage that’s been festering since you learned Caleb was alive. Alive and well and he didn’t even tell you. Just far off into the Deepspace commanding the fleet as the mysterious Colonel from the shadows. Did you not mean as much to him as he did to you? Would he have even revealed that he was alive if you didn’t sneak into the fleet for an undercover investigation?

It all bursts out, “You left me Caleb! You made me think you were dead and that you were gone! Do you know how hard these past few months have been for me!? Sylus- Sylus has been one of the few things keeping me grounded”, you say as tears stream down your face and the ache in your chest grows. You’ve been holding it all in and just trying to be grateful for him being back in your life but it’s been hard. His absence, his return, the secrets piling up between you two. It’s just too much.

“Hey look at me, please don’t cry starlight I’m sorry”, he says as he goes to hold you but you push him away and turn around.

“Maybe I should return to Linkon”, you whisper and Caleb swears he can hear his heart fracture at your words, at your coldness. He knows it’s deserved but it doesn’t make the pain hurt any less.

He walks up and holds you from behind, placing his chin on the top of your head trying to convince you to stay, “Please, please don’t leave Y/N. I just got you back”.

You sigh and reign in your emotions, you turn around and look him in the eye maintaining a steady voice, “My relationship with Sylus is none of your concern. I don’t wish to speak about this with you any further. Have breakfast without me I’m not hungry anymore”, you say as you retreat back to your room.

You leave him standing alone in the kitchen and he sighs as he places a hand over his face. Will things ever go back to how they were?

xoxo

It’s late at night and Caleb lays awake in bed staring at the ceiling replaying your conversation over and over again like a broken record. You stayed cooped up in your room for the rest of the day insisting you weren’t hungry and that you just needed space. He feels like such an ass but he doesn’t know what to do to fix this rift between you two but he knows laying in bed sulking isn’t going to do anything.

He gets up and walks through the halls to your room. He hesitates by the door but works up the courage to knock, “Hey Pip-squeak, I just wanted to talk, are you up?”.  He waits but he doesn’t receive a response. He’s not going to give up that easily. He opens your door and is shocked by what he sees.

Your eyes are closed and you’re writhing on the sheets with your fingers plunging in and out of your pussy while you’re inhaling the scent of his shirt moaning wantonly. Sweat glistens on your skin indicating you’ve been at this for a while. He had to stop and pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, yup definitely not dreaming this is actually happening.

“C-Caleb”, you whimper.

Wait, did you just moan his name and not Sylus? He feels himself throb in the confines of his sweats and knows now is the time to finally confess his feelings. You clearly feel the same way, at least you feel something towards him.

You feel a draft against your skin and open your eyes only to see Caleb in the door frame with shock clear on his face.

“Caleb! It’s not what it looks like!”, you yell frantically pulling your fingers out with a whine and flinging his shirt to the other side of the room. Grabbing the blanket and placing it over yourself looking down in shame. You can’t believe he caught you doing that. There's no way he’s ever gonna look at you the same again. You knew you should’ve just left Skyhaven and met Sylus at your apartment.

Caleb begins to walk towards the bed and your heart begins to hammer in your chest not knowing how he’s going to react.

“Can I see your hand Pip-squeak?”, he asks softly, holding his hand out to you.

You hesitantly place your hand in his and he brings your fingers to his lips and sucks moaning at the taste and fluttering his eyes close.

Huh? Did he? Did he just? Your brain completely stops functioning as he sucks all of your arousal off your fingers. His pink tongue peaking out to lick between the crevices of your fingers, being sure to grab every last drop.

“You taste delicious starlight”, he says as he gets on the bed and hovers over you looking at you hungrily.

You are in shock. Is this really happening? Caleb wants you how you’ve wanted him all these years?

“ Caleb”, you gulp, “You want me?”.

“Of course I want you. I’ve been wanting you for years but I need you to understand Y/N\", he takes your chin in his hand and looks into your eyes, “Once we do this there’s no going back to the way things were. I love you Y/N”.

Tears well up in your eyes as you become completely overwhelmed with emotions. You couldn’t say anything and just crash your lips against his. His plush lips were warm and soft against your own and they felt heavenly. You card your fingers through his hair and pull at his nape to deepen the kiss as he nibbles on your lower lip silently asking for entry. You open up for him and he swallows every moan that leaves your mouth.

Caleb can’t believe this is actually happening. Warmth consumed him as you breathed each other in. If this is a dream he never wants to wake up from it. He breaks away from the kiss as you both pant heavily. He sits up and takes off his shirt and sweats revealing his smooth creamy skin to your eyes. 

You take him all in and can’t believe how pretty he is. And his cock? Long and thick flushed pink at the tip as precum leaks from him.

He hovers over you and slides his tip between your folds. Your previous actions and the kiss have you soaking as he nudges his tip into your entrance tentatively. 

“You’re ready right Pip-squeak? I don’t know how much longer I can hold back”, he says as he pants while he buries himself into the crook of your neck kissing and biting on your pulse point. Making sure to leave marks all over your neck. He’s praying that you stretched out your hole already with your fingers. As much as he would love to drink you up he needs to be in you now.

“I’m ready Caleb”, you purr kissing his temple.

That’s all he needed to hear. He slides into you in one thrust and buries himself to the hilt. You swore you were seeing the pearly gates. He was so long and thick the stretch burned but it was oh so delicious. To finally have him inside of you had you floating on cloud nine.

“C-Caleb”, you stammered.

Caleb went still. While you probably thought it was to give you time to adjust he was trying his hardest not to cum from just feeling your silky walls grip him. The feeling was so much better than his hand and anything he had ever dreamed. It would be embarrassing and a shame if your first time together ended after just a few thrusts. He took a breath before continuing giving you slow sensual thrusts pouring all the years of yearning behind every thrust.

“Fuck Y/N huh- baby y-youre so tight. You’re taking me so well. This pussy is all mine right?”, he asks as he pushes down on the bulge in your stomach, “Mmmm come on tell me who’s pussy this is”, he groans as he picks up the pace. Hips slamming against yours as he rams into your creamy pussy over and over again loud squelches resounding through the room.

“Y-Yours Caleb”, you pant as you wrap your legs around his waist. This was perfect, he was perfect. You pull his head down as your lips meet again. Emotions swelling in your chest and butterflies fluttering in your stomach as you both climbed higher to your peaks with every thrust. 

He leans up and reaches one hand down between you both circling your clit just the way you like with his thumb. How he knew with this being your first time together evades you but you chalk it up to the deep connection the two of you have always had.

He grips the pillow behind you and places it under your hip with his other hand. It puts your hips at an angle so he can fuck into you deeper and he hits that spot that has you seeing stars when you close your eyes.

“Come on starlight, I know you’re close. Be a good girl and cum around my cock yeah. I-I need to feel you”, he rasped breath tickling your ear.

“Caleb I’m gonna ah- I-”, you couldn’t even finish your sentence before your orgasm overtook you as you shattered vision going black as he kept fucking you. Your head felt fuzzy as he rocked into you over and over again.

Caleb felt himself getting close as your walls started milking him for everything he’s worth until a thought flickered across his mind. You weren’t on the pill. You always said how you never saw yourself being with a partner without protection  and right now he was fucking you raw. If he came in you, would you get pregnant? That thought unlocked something possessive within him, something dark, something feral. He’s quickly succumbing to madness. He thought of your stomach plump and round with his child. Breasts full of milk and leaking the sweet ambrosia for him to lick up. You glowing like a radiant goddess as you walk around cradling your stomach but most importantly it would show everyone that you were his. And just like that there’s no way he’s pulling out, he start’s fucking you in a frenzy.

“G-gonna breed you starlight. Gonna fill you up to the point you’re dripping with my seed for weeks. Fuck do you want that Y/N? Come on, tell me you want it as bad as I do. P-please”, he begs.

Your eyes shoot up and widen in surprise. Breed!? As much as you weren’t expecting this you’d be lying if you said you never thought of having a family with Caleb before. You know he’d be an amazing father and you’ve fantasized about this exact situation so many times there’s no way you want him to pull out.

“Mmm breed me Caleb, f-fill me up, ahh- make me yours”, you say looking up at him with hazy eyes and a cock drunk smile on your face and God are you gorgeous like this. It’s not long before he’s thrusting into you erratically and you feel his hot cum shoot into your womb pushing you over the edge yet again as he claims you as his. Bure bliss shooting through his veins as he makes you his.

You thought he would stop after a few more thrusts but instead he cages you in between his arms as he puts his forehead to yours sloppily fucking into your sopping pussy. “Cant stop baby, this pussy is too good she’s sucking me in”, loud squelches echo through the guest room as he fucks his cum deeper into you the excess dripping down the curve of your ass onto the sheets below, “This pussy is fuckin mine, you hear how much she loves me fucking her”, he slurs as he fucks you both through overstimulation. He’s completely pussydrunk, not a thought going on in his head besides you but he just can’t help it after finally having you in his arms after so long. To know that you feel the same way he feels about you has his heart fluttering and love swelling in his chest. He looks down between you two and sees a white frothy ring at the base of his cock and groans at the sight. 

He slides his hands on top of yours and interlaces your fingers together and your heart feels like it’s about to burst with the way he’s looking at you. Eyes full of love and devotion.

“I love you Caleb. I love you so much. N-Never leave me Caleb. Please never again”, you beg as tears stream down your face.

“Never again angel. I promise I’ll never leave your side again”, he says as he kisses away your tears before he thrusts one more time shockwaves of pleasure rippling through his body as he cums again filling you up to the brim. He finally stills and you both are painting heavily staring into one another’s eyes speaking more than words can ever convey.

He plants kisses on your temple, cheek, nose, jaw, all over causing you to giggle.

A sweet sound that’s music to his ears after the tension that was brewing between you two but he can tell that it’s faded away. That a bridge has formed over the chasm that separated you two. That you were finally close to healing.

“I don’t want to pull out starlight, can we sleep like this?’, he questions looking down at you.

“Of course Caleb”, you say, planting a sweet kiss on his lips.

He rolls over onto his back with you on top of him and cradles you to his chest before pulling the covers over both of you. You fall asleep in his arms to the sound of his heartbeat.

[stu-dyingstudent]

Sakura Haruno fic recs: one-shots

Well, the time has come for me to make a list for all of the one-shot warriors!

I'm more of a long fic lover myself, but I certainly do appreciate a good one-shot every so often. There's always the bonus that you're guaranteed an ending too.

Started: 2025.04.26

Last Updated: 2025.05.18

note: feel free to check out my master list which has a bunch of Sakura Haruno fic recs (all organized)!

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That Awkward Conversation - Lady Silvamord || ffn || T || itasaku || post-war AU || one-shot complete

Sakura and Itachi have a rather embarrassing problem. Post-Fourth War AU. Humor.

As it turns out, Itachi may be handsome, but he certainly cannot kiss... Super cute and funny one-shot where Sakura finds the courage to tell Itachi about their "problem" and he makes sure to fix it!

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xenograft - Mixelation || ao3 || T || gen || Orochimaru in Konoha AU || one-shot complete

Orochimaru-sama comes to the Academy and asks for the student with the best calligraphy.

Morally grey Sakura?? Yes please! Orochimaru basically recruits academy Sakura to help out in his labs. I've always thought that Sakura would probably thrive under Orochimaru's teachings (if they were ethical), so Xenograft was quite enjoyable!

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it's history - aobears || ao3 || T || madasaku || time travel AU || one-shot complete

Haruno Sakura grows up with her own name in her textbooks. Granted it’s not actually her name--she shares it with another, but the woman she shares it with is Uchiha Sakura, and that’s exactly the name she’s been doodling in her notebooks.

Cute time travel where Sakura unknowingly grows up dreaming of being like herself. Everything starts to click together once she's actually had her jutsu mishap and realizes just what happened lol. Consists of her and Madara being dorks.

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once more unto the breach - Jorque || ao3 || T || gen || time loop AU || one-shot complete

Sakura isn't exactly thrilled when she learns that her partner for her first major mission since making chunin would be her old sensei. When that mission turns into an ambush, she's pretty sure that the mission couldn't possibly get any worse. When time starts looping, she decides to stop temping fate.

Super fun time loop fic! As much as I love time travel AU, I actually haven't read many that are loops, but Once More Unto the Breach was great. If you enjoy platonic moments between Kakashi and Sakura (like myself), then you'll certainly want to read this one.

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a deep breath - spideywhiteys || ao3 || T || shisaku || time travel AU || one-shot complete

Haruno Sakura hasn't always known what or who she would be. She built a life out of broken bones and scorched what-ifs, lingering daydreams and sharp antiseptic. At the most pivotal moment of their battle against Kaguya she stood shoulder to shoulder with two boys she always fell just short of, and she flew. Then she fell. Three inches to the right and ten years back.

I love I love!!! What can I say? If you're no stranger to my lists then you know I'm a sucker for anything with Shisui. Sakura gets sent back in time, but there also seems to be some genetic modification that happened in the process. Her, Shisui, and Itachi spend their days together and the banter is so fun! Very domestic and/or slice of life at times.

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shaking up and breaking down - SafelyCapricious || ao3 || T || itasaku || time travel || one-shot series

Sakura has died, and ended up in...here. She's still not sure where here is, but she's definitely here and she's going to make sure nothing happens to her precious people even if she has to die (again) to keep them safe.

This is actually a series of one-shots, but you could just read the first and stop if you want. Freshly time travelled Sakura ends up stumbling upon Sasuke and Naruto being kidnapped and steps in. However, things aren't exactly smooth sailing once they get back to the village... It's fun though, trust. Super enjoyable and very minor romance.

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the pretty one - theformerone || ao3 || G || gen || canon divergence || one-shot complete

Kakashi is maybe ten seconds too late to redirect the assassination techniques. Sakura leaps in between them because those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum.

Well, Sakura gets stabbed by Naruto and Sasuke on the hospital rooftop... There's some nice team bonding here as they work past that traumatic incident. Kakashi was great with the kids as well!

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Summer Ending to a Winter Night - Lolibat || ao3 || T || tobisaku || time travel AU || one-shot complete

It starts with an injured Inuzuka. As always, the Inuzuka show up completely unannounced, metaphorically knocking on her door by collapsing in a bloody pile right in front of her porch. The dog included. She opens her door, blinks, and looks down. Well, what's a girl gotta do? Leave them for dead?

Very rarely do I stumble across a tobisaku fanfic! Summer Ending to a Winter Night is pretty sweet. Sakura has travel back to the warring states period and just wants to live a simple life in her cottage. However, she just can't turn a blind eye to any injured soul.

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back and then forward - fencesit || ao3 || T || madasaku || time travel AU || one-shot complete

Her client either doesn't actually know the ninja's name or (equally likely) knows that ninja of this era despise introductions, but Sakura knows the name of her new coworker: Uchiha Madara is standing in front of her, wild-haired and distinctively relaxed, looking no older than her — not quite a teenager anymore, coming into his full adult height and broad shoulders, but much younger than he had looked during the Fourth War.

You guys, this was beyond cute! Like, seriously. Sakura is sent back in time to the warring states period and decides to do some work as a travelling medic. It's there she finds herself, although somewhat briefly, working alongside Madara. Afterwards, they keep in touch and just trust me that the ending is great!

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Let Her Go by jokergirl2001 || ffn || T || sasusaku || post-war AU || one-shot/incomplete

"Sorry Sasuke-kun, I'm busy. Maybe another time?" Sasuke's eyebrows twitched while everyone laughed at the irony.

Note: Based on the author's note, this was intended to be a multi-chapter fic; however, only one chapter was released. I think that it can be read as a one-shot and thus have put it on this list, but it is technically incomplete.

I seriously love this author! The dialogue is so natural and flows easily. This storyline is pretty fun as it's just Sasuke getting teased about him being annoyed that Sakura hasn't spoken to him in a while.

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Early Mornings and Half-Cooked Eggs - OfPaintAndOil || ffn || T || gen || post-war AU || one-shot complete

A post-war torn Sakura Haruno is periodically woken up by Kakashi Hatake, who seems determined to make sure she eats breakfast and not sleep in. He's not the best cook, but his half-cooked eggs are all she can stomach when she can manage to get out of bed. At least he'll read to her in bed, though his choice in literature is questionable. Rated T for depression and PTSD. COMPLETE.

Sakura falls into a post-war depression. I'm fairly certain that this is technically kakasaku, but I read it more in a platonic sense and so that's why I tagged it as gen. You could read it as either imo. Regardless, it's a very genuine story about Kakashi just trying to help Sakura while she's in this state. He isn't overbearing, but he is present and that's what matters.

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I Found You Missing - Wolfy Tales || ffn || T || kakasaku || pen-pal AU || one-shot complete

'They're asking us because these soldiers have absolutely no one left to write home to,' Sakura thought with a frown. So she signs up for the Shinobi Letter Exchange, not realizing how large the consequences would be. - AUish one-shot [KakaSaku]

Sakura ends up becoming Kakashi's pen-pal while he's out fighting in the war. They don't actually meet and/or know each other's identities until near the end I believe. Anyways, this is very well written and such an interesting concept!

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Inconvenience - DeepPoeticGirl || ffn || K+ || sasusaku || genin days || one-shot complete

/Team 7. Very slight SasuSaku./ Sakura unexpectedly gets her period during a mission. One of her teammates is naturally a complete idiot about it, but the other two are surprisingly... not. ONESHOT. Genin!Team 7.

Sasuke is pretty sweet about the fact that Sakura got her period. I wish that more fics explored the idea that genin are also awkward tweens and so they'd be going through the horror of puberty lol.

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The Planets Will Keep Spinning - Shonashee || ffn || K+ || sasusaku || genin days || one-shot complete

The week that Sakura had a crush on Kakashi and was nearly killed for her hair. Otherwise known as just another week with Team 7. / / A slice of life from when they were genin. Sakura-centric.

Honestly, I feel like most people had a crush on their teacher at one point... Sakura ends up seeing Kakashi without his mask and forms a bit of a crush. Kakashi obviously thinks it's pretty funny, but Sasuke and Naruto aren't that thrilled. Pretty cute.

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Bunk Mates - ice bitten || ffn || T || gen || canon divergence || one-shot complete

In which Sasuke and Naruto find out Sakura has been sleeping over at Sai's. Short stories surrounding Sakura, Sai, and the invasive people of Konoha.

Really funny fic where Sakura and Sai become roommates. However, their odd sleeping situation leads to some misunderstandings. I adore Sai, so of course this was such a treat for me! Highly recommend for something fun.

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I forget where we were - snis (a_sassin) || ao3 || M || sasusaku || hunger games AU || one-shot complete

“Sakura, it's me - Kakashi." For a moment she lets herself think. These people have mistaken her for someone else – that, or they’ve kidnapped her and they’re liars. “Who are you, and what do you want with me?”

This is for all of my Hunger Games fans! Set during Catching Fire and basically Sakura is in Peeta's place. There's mentions of torture, etc., but her relationship with Sasuke is very interesting here. I also thought that it was so fitting for Kakashi to be their mentor!

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one step forward (one punch back) - a_sassin || ao3 || T || sasusaku || modern AU || one-shot complete

The one where Sakura partakes in cage fighting to pay her tuition and rent. She has just enough left to feed herself - sparingly - at the end of the day, but it's not so bad.

Thoroughly enjoyed One Step Forward! Something about this fic just has me obsessed. I've always loved boxing and straight up hand-to-hand combat, so Sakura doing cage fighting had me hooked. The entire cast has great characterizations and the post-fic headcanons left by the author were a pleasant surprise!

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I know, I know!! I said that I would be updating my sasusaku list a few weeks ago, but I got lazy and then I wanted to make this one lol. Forgive me TT-TT

[moon-fics]

Tan Lines

Pairing: Bob Floyd x Reader

Summary: After a long day at the beach playing football, the squad decides to take a break.

Warning: Just a tad bit suggestive

A/N: I might make this into a part two...

Sweat drips down your back and chest as you sit on the cold, sandy ground. The sun is barely peaking out from the ocean as it sets. Your muscles are sore, but it only gives you a sense of satisfaction. The smell of salt and the stinging in your eyes is a welcoming feeling.

You glance to your left to see Bob, Hangman, Rooster, and Phoenix. They're all staring off into the water. You can tell they have a lot on their minds, but there's a deafening silence that you don't want to break first.

"So, do you guys think we'll get the mission done?" Phoenix speaks up. This elicits a groan from Rooster, who would rather discuss anything else. You still haven't figured out his deal with Maverick.

"Of course, we'll get it done. That's why we're being trained," Hangman scoffs. "It's the getting back part you guys should worry about," He chuckles.

"'You guys'?" Bob repeats while leaning over to look at Hangman. He's glaring through his glasses, and you notice Rooster doing the same. Hangman is impossible to have a nice conversation with. He'll boost his ego the entire time. "Last time I checked, we're just as good as you."

"Did you never check?" Hangman retorts. This is enough to get Phoenix and Rooster standing. They take a few steps into the ocean to avoid the conversation. You're betting it's cold and refreshing.

You decide to join them and let your feet step into the wet sand. The water washes past your ankles, and you are right. It feels like heaven after sweating for hours.

You turn around to see Bob still sitting away from the shore. "Are you coming?" You ask. He stumbles over words you can't hear before standing. He cleans his glasses on his shirt, which only smudges them more.

He follows after everyone but stops next to you. Phoenix and Rooster have already entered the ocean. Hangman has decided to head back to the bar without a word. Maybe his confidence needs a drink to bring down.

"I bet we're all going to be burnt to shit tomorrow," You strike a conversation. You can feel your skin becoming irritated with the amount of sun you've gotten. "At least we'll have some good tan lines," You shrug.

"Oh, I already have those," Bob chuckles. You remember Phoenix saying he was from Leemore base. You've only seen him in uniform or wearing a t-shirt. So, you honestly can't tell if he does. "We would do drills in the heat. Now, they're just kinda there," He explains.

"I don't see any." He glances at you and realizes his tan lines aren't viable.

"Oh, uh, yeah," He mumbles. He reaches for the hem of his shorts and pulls down less than an inch. He's as white as a ghost under his shorts compared to above them. You're stuck staring at the different skin tones, only to realize you can see his stomach. Your mouth falls open at how toned he is.

You can see veins and abs as clear as day. The lack of sunlight doesn't do it justice. It's embarrassing how much saliva fills your mouth. You pry your eyes away and focus back on his face.

"I see it now," You confirm with a laugh. He shyly smiles and goes to fix his shorts. "I'll show you mine tomorrow as a trade,"

"I doubt it'll be anything like mine," He jokes. You want to tease him back, but you're stuck thinking about his body. You shouldn't be having flashes of his stomach, but here you are. It's all you can think of as you stand next to him. You never really thought of Bob that way, but now you are. Sure, he was handsome and sweet. You just never imagined he was so ripped.

Everyone in Top Gun has muscles because if you don't, what are you doing here? But, you could probably eat food off of Bob's abs.

"Everything ok? You're staring at Phoenix pretty hard," Bob waves a hand in front of your face. You're snapped out of your own mind and reminded that Bob is right next to you.

"Oh, yeah, I was just making sure she doesn't drown." You lie. It's a bad lie but it's enough for Bob.

"Then, I'll watch Rooster." He crosses his arms and makes a serious face. His eyes are trained on Rooster like a hawk. "Can't risk letting a chicken drown," He tries and fails at his own joke.

You find yourself laughing anyway. You don't understand why you're heart rate is elevated, because you've never felt this way around anyone in the squad. It hits you hard that you've possibly developed a crush on him. Somehow, your idiotic heart has decided now is a great time to cling to someone. Days before a mission that has so many factors that could go wrong.

"About what Phoenix said. Do you think the mission will go ok?" You look over at him. If you want comfort, Bob is the best place to go. He's more sensitive than everyone else. He's always there.

"Yeah, I have my trust in everyone here," He shrugs. He just shrugs as if that isn't an important answer. Yes, you trust anyone you go on a mission with. You have to to get shit done. Yet, he's saying it as if it's a default for him. "I trust you the most,"

"Me? Why?" You blurt out. You are not building a good case for yourself.

"I can predict your fly patterns the most. I don't pilot, but I can tell Phoenix what you'll do next." You can hear your brain grinding its gears and your heart pumping blood in your ears. You know he only meant that as a compliment, nothing more or less.

"I suppose that's a good thing," You respond. "If I had to choose who I'd fly with on this mission, it would be you and Phoenix."

"Oh, I'm glad Phoenix wasn't discarded," He laughs. "It would be horrible if I were in the back seat with no pilot."

"Oh, then I wouldn't trust you for the life of me," You snort.

You want to say more, but something in your chest says to let it simmer. You keep your mouth shut and your eyes on Phoenix and Rooster. They're both enjoying the water as the dark of night covers the sky. In a few minutes, the stars will come out and the moon will shine.

You're excited to walk back to base with just the moonlight. It'll give you more time with him.

[lovebillyhargrove]

***

"Heey. I uhmm .. I know it's ass o'clock but uh .. can you pick me up?"

It's Harrington, and he's drunk, and Billy knew it was him calling before he even touched the phone, cause whenever Steve calls Billy always gets this weird twist in his belly, or his chest, or somewhere in between — call it the sixth sense or whatever

It is indeed the middle of the night.

"Where are you?"

"At this club .."

Okay.

"Which one?"

"The one we went together to .. a couple of months ago? .. Can't remember the name."

Cause you're wasted, Harrington. It's your drunk slurring voice and the way you're breathing into the receiver

"Yeah, I know, give me ten."

..

When Steve's coming out of the club, he sees it right away — you always somehow notice this car, even in a bigger place than Hawkins — a place where muscle cars aren't a sight to gawk at. It just draws your attention. It's standing on the opposite side of the road, smoke coming out of its exhaust pipe, engine running smoothly

And ..

Steve knows he will open the door and there will be Billy.

Billy. In a plain t-shirt and jeans and maybe a leather jacket, and Steve will slip into the passenger's seat and inhale the smell of him

God he loves this smell, there's something about it that makes Harrington all fuzzy and .. wistful.

Wasted days, and sleepless nights

An' I can't wait to see you again

Is quietly playing on the radio

"Had a fun night?"

The voice, too, dammit, the voice

"Was okay."

"Home?"

Let's go to yours. Harrington catches it on the tip of his tongue.

Why the hell not? They can totally do it. He'll crash on Billy's couch and all is gonna be fine, and in the morning Steve, too lazy to open his barely slitted eye, will watch through his eyelashes how Hargrove moves around the place, doing his morning stuff. Billy will probably be in his underwear or shorts or sweats, and Steve's not yet fully focused gaze will slide over his tanned naked back, and his ass, and his tousled hair and Harrington would want to linger in this very moment

This must be love

Cause it's really got a hold on me

"Why do you keep picking me up?"

Billy doesn't look surprised at the question. He never looks surprised at anything anymore, after what went down a couple of years ago.

Steve hates remembering that night, the whole time around that night, including those months of Billy's staying in hospital hanging onto life by a thread thinner than a cobweb

"I dunno." The cigarette smoke rolls out between his lips

Steve's watching for it's a beautiful thing to look at — Hargrove smoking. He doesn't smoke much though, not anymore. A pack of Marlboros usually lasts him a week.

"Why did you risk your life for me?"

"Is it always a thank you then?"

"You'd prefer I wasn't grateful, Harrington? People should be .. grateful. Don't you think?"

The camaro takes off, and Steve's watching the night city fly by.

Hargrove's changed so much. He's still himself, but he's quieter .. less edgy, more confident, and it's not the loud bravado, it's deeper, calmer. He's like this .. boulder, molded by the flow of time and water. Like a substance that knows its core, is sure of it.

Billy has this whole life here. The job that he likes and evening school and friends and .. The ocean he's crazy about.

Steve, on the other hand, feels so uncertain. About everything. He's always wanted to move to California —

He did. And Hargrove helped him, to find a place, a job, people to hang out with, helped him to fit in.

Steve turns his head, looks at Billy's sure hands on the steering wheel.

How can I tell you, babe

My back's against the wall

When will Steve tell him?

Hargrove doesn't do relationships. Steve knew that, back in Hawkins when Vicky cried on Tina's shoulder, and then Amy cried on Carol's shoulder, and a couple of more girls joined the Broken Hearts Club,

It didn't bother him much, back in Hawkins. Steve couldn't care less.

Here, he gets new confirmations of Billy's non-relationship material status on the regular. A couple of weeks ago Steve heard it again — from a girl, sitting in Hargrove's kitchen early in the morning. Cheryl .. yeah her name was Cheryl and she was drunk and crying and telling Steve how unattainable that guy is

He'll be all over you like he's in love and you'll end up in his bed, and if you're lucky you'll date for a couple of weeks or a month but that's it

That's when Billy's gonna stop calling and that's when you'll understand

He doesn't care.

However, he'll stop everything before it gets too far. He thinks it's fair like that, and he's trying to be, fair.

Either way, it sucks.

An' I can't wait too see you again

So I can hold you in my arms

Cheryl is like Steve. She also wants to be in love and she wants a relationship, a family in the long run and .. and everything that comes with it.

Steve actually felt sorry for the girl that night.

He stopped feeling sorry for himself a long time ago, after Nancy.

Now he's just yearning. Constantly.

And Steve is so better off that Cheryl. She's gonna be gone, she is already gone, but Steve will stay here, in Billy's kitchen,

They are friends now. More than friends. Harrington saved Billy's life, risking his own, spilling his blood for the guy. They've been through hell.

Billy is grateful.

Steve doesn't want his gratitude. What he wants, is so different from gratitude.

Is this the love that I've been searching for

Is this love or am I dreaming

"Hey I don't wanna go home now. Let's go to yours."

***

Lyrics from a song by Whitesnake "Is this love" (released 1987)

[miimo96]

Thoughts on TBHK Chapter 126

The time has finally come, the moment we've all been waiting for, Chapter 126 is finally here and judging from how last chapter ended as well as the cover card and after months of speculation, it looks like it's finally time to see yashiro travel back in time and if ya know anything about me then you'd know exactly how excited i am for this ^^ Tbh this is probably the longest chapter I ever had to read for this series, with this mf having over 39 pages worth of this shit like wtf did aida cook to have this many pages, either way im excited to see where this chapter goes anyway without further ado let's get into chapter 126

AHHHHHH I HATE HIM, if you effing even THINK about doing anything to her i swear i will make you the most HATED character in this series besides teru

THE GOAT THE CAT IS THE EFFING GOAT! Oh I am a 100% confident now that this is a hundred percent hanako or 1 of the yugi twins now because why else would he do this

LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S F*CKING GOOO! ^w^

Yo This is so effing GOOD like I'm absolutely loving this chapter so far, my god aidairo you never seem to miss, also why do i get the feeling from this panel that she's about to go through the Re: zero treatment? 😅😅😅😰

Oh Yashiro confident as hell she ain't taking anymore chances 😅

Well looks like all's well that ends well i gue- Wait, WHAT! Oh no PLEASE don't tell me she can't change KEY moments in the past please, that would absolutely SUCK, Oh no please don't do this to me aida not again PLEASE

Oh this hourglass is EVIL, theyre just gonna keep effing with her aren't they, wow ya know i think out of all the current chapters so far, this 1 has to be probly the Darkest one I've ever read aside from the red house arc, like just the fact they're making her go through all this shit again is just insane to me to the point where im starting to believe that aidairo secretly loves to do this to us like bruh this just can't get any worse right ^^;

Oh NO!

OMGWTF! 🤯 wait, No aida no PLEASE stop, you're not really telling this right, yourw not really telling me that this THING actually possed yashiro instead right, that it didn't just make her KILL her friends right, right!? 😰

Oh my fucking GODD! Why? What did we do to deserve this aidairo, why 😢😢😢 bruh i effing love this series, never in my life would i have ever thought that TBHK would have stuff like this, oh the effing anime better do this shit justice im looking at you lerche, bruh i feel like yuji at the end of shibuya looking at this

YOU! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! God i HATE this THING AHHHHHH 😖

Tramua. The key word of today is Trauma: T.R.A.M.U.A, Tramua, because that's exactly what I'm feeling from this ^^; also is anyone else getting Tokyo ghoul vibes from this, no, just me

Literally my reaction rn 😢 omg aida why, why do you do this to us, are you gege in disguise because what the hell, I- I don't think i can handle this anymore... like is there even any way to fix things

The GOAT, the effing GOAT is here, AKANE!!! Bruh this chapter was such a rollercoaster omg I never thought aidairo could go that far, wow I so can't wait for the next one, yeah it's official tbhk is hands down the best series I have ever read, can't wait to see how this plays out next month see y'all next time ^^

[radylis]

SPM Theory: Merloo and the Fourth Pure Heart

«The Ancients traveled to many worlds to entrust people with Pure Hearts. It was to keep them safe from destruction or misuse by those with evil hearts. The Pure Hearts were drawn by their own power toward those strong with love. The Ancients used this trait to find suitable guardians in each world. And a few romances also began as a result of these little journeys… Many of the Ancients who found guardians fell in love with those they met. And so they lived their days happily in the world they'd visited out of duty. This is how the legend of the hero was passed down to future generations…»

This is one of Garson's stories from Super Paper Mario. In it, it's explained that the Ancients decided to entrust the Pure Hearts to well-meaning people in different worlds for safekeeping until the hero arrived.

However, although there's a great emphasis in the guardians here, there is one Pure Heart whose guardian we know nothing about...

Let's start with a little recap. During SPM's events, Mario and company find the Pure Hearts in the following places:

❤️ The First Pure Heart is given to Mario by Merlon in Flipside.

🧡 The Second Pure Heart is given to Mario by Merlumina in Yold Ruins, with Fracktail also serving as a guardian to it.

💛 The Third Pure Heart is obtained from Merlee and it was hidden within her Mansion.

💚 The Fourth Pure Heart is found within Fort Francis, with Tippi's happiness releasing it from its hiding place.

🩵 The Fifth Pure Heart is handed over by Squirps, prince of the lost kingdom of Squirpia.

💙 The Sixth Pure Heart is obtained from the Floro Sapiens, who explain that King Croacus IV was its current owner.

💜 The Seventh Pure Heart is kept at Sammer’s Kingdom, with the current King Sammer being its guardian and, thus, the one who has to give it to the heroes (or rather, the one who should have given it to the heroes).

🤍 The Eighth Pure Heart, lastly, was entrusted to Jaydes and Grambi, rulers of The Underwhere and The Overthere respectively, who transformed it into their daughter, Luvbi. In the end, Luvbi herself decided to go with the heroes, reverting back to her original form and accepting her fate as the final Heart.

Notice something strange? There was exactly one Pure Heart that wasn’t given to the heroes by anyone. That's right; it's the fourth one, the green Pure Heart...

All the other Pure Hearts were being guarded by at least one person (although in Croacus' case, he wasn't exactly "guarding" it). Yet the green Pure Heart was just found inside a fortress/castle.

Here's what Merlon says about it when you return to Flipside after completing Chapter 3:

«I think that castle was once a dwelling of the Ancients I told you of earlier. It seems that my ancestors have roamed far and wide in their dimensional travels. “In the castle beyond the great sea, we hid a Pure Heart and sealed it safely…” Yes, I remember reading such a passage in the Light Prognosticus. The seal could only have been broken by a powerful pulse of love and trust…»

Isn't it strange that the Ancients just seemingly hid a Pure Heart within a random castle they found and assigned no sort of protection to it except for a seal?

In Garson's story, it's stated that the Pure Hearts were entrusted to "suitable guardians", and so it'd be more believable to think that there used to be a guardian for the green Pure Heart as well.

And I believe this Pure Heart's guardian (or, at least, its original guardian) was none other than Merloo.

Now, if you're part of SPM's fandom you'll probably already know that Merloo has been the subject of much theorizing; he's a quite mysterious figure described as "a great magician who could control dimensions" and, allegedlly, the writer of the Light Prognosticus too (although Merlumina is also stated to be its writer).

Nothing more is known about Merloo himself... And there aren't any Ancient-related characters who look like him in-game, unlike with the other three sages we hear about in SPM...

But why Merloo as the green Pure Heart's guardian? Well, that's because I think the other three sages were also entrusted with a Pure Heart each...

My evidence? The fact that another of Garson's stories sheds light on Merlumina's sister, who was tasked with finding one of these suitable guardians. She fell in love with said guardian, the King Sammer of that time, ultimately marrying him and having 100 kids together; this means that the King Sammer we meet in SPM (who is the purple Pure Heart's current guardian) is a descendant of them.

All of this aligns with the Garson story I cited at the beginning of this post. But, considering Garson spoke in plural ("Many of the Ancients who found guardians fell in love with those they met"), this means Merlumina's sister wasn't the only case of an "ancient x guardian" couple happening...

Let's take a look at the other Ancients we know of:

Merlight is stated to be a "distant ancestor" of Merlon, who at the time of SPM is in possession of the red Pure Heart.

Merlumina is an ancestor of Old Man Watchitt, and her spirit can be found in the same dimension/world as him, guarding the orange Pure Heart.

Merlimbis is a "direct ancestor" of both Merluvlee and Merlee; the current yellow Pure Heart's owner is Merlee.

Isn't it fair for us to assume that they were also tasked with finding guardians, fell in love with them, and decided to stay in the worlds they'd visited out of duty, as Garson's story says? Well, in Merlight's case, he designed Flipside/Flopside, so he had no other option than to remain there to ensure the city's correct functioning, I suppose... But I'm getting off-track.

Returning to the matter at hand: once again we can see that Merloo's name hasn't been brought up... He's the only sage whose descendants are completely unknown to the player.

If we follow my reasoning, we have Merlight, Merlumina and Merlimbis guarding the red, orange and yellow Pure Hearts alongside their spouses, respectively. Or rather, their descendants (except for Merlumina's case; I have an idea on why this could be, but that's for another day...).

The thing is that the red, orange and yellow Pure Hearts are the first three Pure Hearts encountered in-game. So, it wouldn't be irrational to assume that Merloo was also entrusted with the next Pure Heart after those. Which, no surprise, is the green Pure Heart.

So, to recap, Merloo went to The Bitlands, found a suitable guardian, and fell in love with them (just like the rest of the sages), staying in The Bitlands for the rest of his life and eventually passing on the responsibility of protectiing the green Pure Heart to his children, who in turn passed it on to their own children, and so on...

But what happened to their castle, then? Why is it now Fort Francis?

Honestly, I have no idea for why this the way it is.

Perhaps they were forced to flee due to unknown circumstances, with no other option than to leave the Pure Heart behind? Perhaps they all died due to some illness or attack, only managing to put an emergency seal on the Pure Heart before passing away?

I'm afraid, the answer shall remain a mystery forevermore...

However, I would like to say that there are some indications that hint at the possibility of a descendant of Merloo's being encountered in-game by the heroes...

Dimentio is quite the enigmatic character, isn't he?

He's a magician with great dimensional powers, just like Merloo, even being able to create his own pocket dimension!

Not only that, but he seemed to know quite a lot about the Pure Hearts and the Dark Prognosticus' final prophecy even before meeting Count Bleck...

On top of that, the only time Dimentio is fought against in SPM outside of Castle Bleck is, precisely, in The Bitlands...

Moreover, Dimentio seems to be aware of where the entrance to Merlumina's chamber (where the orange Pure Heart is hidden) is exactly located, and he has no trouble messing with Fracktail's mind!

Furthermore, how did Dimentio go to Flipside? How was he aware of its existence? And how was he able to send the heroes to The Underwhere and The Overthere? Also, all these places hid a Pure Heart as well...

Lastly, Dimentio knew that Jaydes' power could restore a damaged Pure Heart...

It's as if he had been taught all of these facts by someone, don't you think?

This is all suspicious...

...Quite suspicious, indeed...

[gracemain919]

One shot: Gender Neutral Creature x Yandere Researcher

Summary: In a research facility workers are strangely being killed. This researcher hopes to bring the fallen justice against this ‘monster’.

Tw: Yandere, Cannibalism, Use of Y/n. Murder, unhealthy relationships.

A Fair Murder

"Who could do such a thing?" Zane asked looking at the mangled, bloodied mess of a body that was scattered across the room. The once-white walls were now painted red with a bonus of organ bits adding to the decoration. Truly a disgusting display he was forced to witness. A poor innocent soul whose whole life was taken from them in an instant. All they could have done with their life now is just a fantasy.

His coworker agreed with his sentiment looking away from the mess. "An anomaly did this no doubt," he commented glancing towards Zane who just nodded.

"But which one...? We have hundreds, and one running loose will put us all in jeopardy" Zane explained mostly to himself, voicing his thoughts and worries. A free anomaly could cause a whole buffet of problems, and the administration isn't one to solve those problems humanely.

The soul next to him patted his back in a comforting manner or more like a 'we can't do shit so stop crying' manner. "The cleaners will be here soon, recommend we leave".

———————————————————————————

While the administration was pulling their own hairs trying to figure out where in the name of god this anomaly was. It killed and consume then hid back in the shadows. A murderous coward.

Zane had seen death in the facility quite often so this didn't churn his stomach, yet it felt awful. Innocent lives being torn into such a brutal display of bloodshed. It wasn't something he ever wanted to get used to.

"There". A Familiar coworker pointed to the screen of his computer where it displayed pretty shitty camera footage. Just below his finger, a black figure ran through the screen quickly destroying the camera. That is where the person's body was shortly found...

"I see, so that's why they can't find them?" Zane asked his disinterested partner. It was kinda obvious whose idea was to check over this anomaly.

His coworker rubbed his face, closing his computer, "Yep, this creature is smart, but stop stressing let the big boss handle it".

Zane frowned at his willingness to downplay such events, but in truth, they couldn't do much than wait until this anomaly was found. However, if it was found he would be the first to see it. Experience what hideous monster could do such things.

———————————————————————————

No one other than the administration, and probably Zane was panicking over this anomaly, but after a week of it being free—some new alarmed voices joined in on the discourse.

Every day a new body would be found in some grotesque way. Some were scattered in the bathroom, some contaminating storage rooms. It was all just scaring staff members thinking they would be the next target.

Zane just felt bad for the cleaning crew. Having to clean such macabre messes.

'Wouldn't wish to be them' Zane thought as he was in a meeting. Just a regular one, a random professional explaining directions to them on how to do their jobs. Boring but necessary.

"So if you're planning on focusing on more dangerous anomalies you gotta understand their intentions," the professional explained in front of the room with a very bright projection behind him. "Usually these anomalies aren't mindless. Figuring out their reasons can make you have a better plan for your survival".

The room was silent, most staff members were in their own world but Zane was paying attention. Even taking notes, he surprised himself. It was that this meeting reminded him of the loose violent creature. Maybe the professor's tips could help him when he ultimately meets this anomaly.

"Any questions?" the professional asked at the end of the meeting. No one asked a question leaving with haste along with Zane. He took his black-haired person out of the room since he had a lot to think about.

———————————————————————————

"Good morning," Zane muttered to his coworker as they both waited for the coffee machine to finish brewing. "Good morning," the familiar man responded sounding like he was too steps away from his bed.

Ding!

Once the coffee was done Zane poured himself a cup before sitting down. It was a normal morning. A quiet cafeteria full of tired staff members along with his coworker. It almost could make him forget the impending danger of being eaten alive. How soothing.

It would have remained calm and quiet too. If it wasn't for a blood-curling screen to ruin their morning. Not far in the halls, a certain feminine cry could be heard. Even if it wasn't in their room the clear cries could be heard dying down with a sprinkled sound of guards shooting up the halls.

It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to know that that was it. They got the anomaly. The noise of hisses and screams from a kinda disfigured voice were present along with a loud bamn emphasizing the guard's victory.

Zane didn't know how to feel. A strange sense of calmness filled his soul, but his thoughts on what to do next were paused. Finally having that creature in their grasp was relieving. No longer having to fear if they were about to be killed by an unknown force.

As he was processing his emotions, the warm cup of coffee lying abandoned on the table, he finally stood up urging his coworker to do the same. Zane couldn't hide his joy, his smile almost breaking his face in half. He was so happy that he hugged his confused coworker.

"Finally!" he yelled, tightening his grasp on his partner who soon did the same. God, this was a miracle.

———————————————————————————

"Who are you?" an unconcerned receptionist asked Zane behind the counter. He fiddled with his uniform making sure to look presentable.

"I'm the researcher that has been assigned to study the new anomaly".

The receptionist just nodded quickly printing out a document and handing it to Zane waving him off to his duties.

He was excited, his walk was quicker and his breath was louder. To see such a creature, to see what inhumane monster did such things. It was something that excited him, not because of sick pleasure but for a sense of justice for the fallen victims.

So many bodies in just a week and when they were just about to catch the anomaly; they were gone. Ran fast into trouble and out of it.

"Good to see you, Zane," a researcher exclaimed shaking his hand as he entered the anomalies containment. The room was vacant only a desk pressed up to the side of a big glass window at the end of the room.

"Thank you for this opportunity", Zane said with a smile on his face. He was just in a good mood and the researcher could see that. "No problem, just be careful. They are a bit feisty in there. Good luck". Just like that and after a few exchanges in goodbyes, Zane was left to interrogate the anomaly: alone.

His adrenaline seemed to be diminishing to reality. The worry of having to talk to this creature, and see it was causing his whole confidence to take a hit. He just needed to know why. Why did this creature do such things?

He went up to the glass window, and inches away from the surface he was jumpscared by the creature. Its sharp fangs, dark patches of skin, and claws would cause any normal person to be disgusted, but... Zane expected worse. He expected the anomaly to have two heads or to be a bit larger.

Now in front of him was a scrawny little 'human' you could say. Their breath was rapid as they stared at Zane up and down. They seemed petrified. "Let me out!".

A banging fist caused him to flinch as a clawed hand tried to break the glass. He wasn't scared of them actually shattering it. The window was reinforced so even a bomb could burst in there and the glass would still be standing. He was just afraid of their anger in a way.

The hand that was banding in the glass was skinny, clawy, but still dangerously thin. Their rapid chest and angered face were also in bad shape. You could see some of their bone being clothed by a small piece of flesh... They were starving.

"Listen I know you may be panicked, but you won't be released from this room". Zane tried to keep his tone strong. This anomaly killed people, he shouldn't sympathize with it.

"Let. Me. Go!" A final slam was brought to the glass before the anomaly gave up just leaving their vacant hand on its surface. Now it seemed a good time to start asking questions or try and coax some cooperation.

"Are you done?" Zane spat back trying to sound tough but it sounded like a bad actor reading a script. "If you cooperate with us, maybe we could get you a better cell, maybe some food-"

"MEAT!"

Ok, back to screaming it seemed.

"Please! I'm starving. Just one, one! Please!"

Zane could believe their hunger statements. Eyes full of rage boiling down to sadness. They were pleading with him.

No, they had many bodies to eat. They should be full, even if their skin and bone were showing. It wasn't his fault they needed more.

He stood his ground turning away from the pleading soul waiting for their begs and yells to die down. They were a murderer. A creature that didn't even eat its bodies and killed more just to starve.  Were they dumb?

When Zane felt like enough time had passed he asked, "Now, will you answer a few questions?".

Y/n nodded in defeat bringing their arm back to their side away from the stained glass. They were tired, angry, scared, and most of all hungry.

"Good," At least Zane's job wasn't going to be hell. The anomaly was cooperating. "Let's start with names. I'm Zane, and you?"

"Y/n..."

Wow, that was a surprisingly human name. Very normal.

Zane could have continued with the annoyingly slow questions, like birthdays and whatnot but he needed something. A specific answer.

"You said you were starving, but you killed 8 people. How is that not enough?" He may have sounded unnecessarily hateful or as if he was mocking the anomaly and he kinda was. Really? 8 bodies and still starving?

"I didn't have time," Y/n muttered keeping their head down. Skin making a great contrast with the black patches tainting their flesh.

"Time for what?"

With a new scowl on their face, Y/n yelled their answer.

"To EAT!"

That answer surprised Zane, yet it made sense. The guards would surround and barge into the areas where they suspected a murder had occurred. Not enough time to take a bite. Still 8 bodies?

"Calm down, I hear you," Zane said bluntly looking directly into the anomaly, their skin and whole physique still burning a hole into his heart. They looked so abused in a way.

Maybe he should just return to the normal questions. To finish up the interrogation.

———————————————————————————

Zane ended up getting to know things about the anomaly. The basic things you would ask a new student at school yet it made the creature seem more human in his eyes, and as time passed and more interviews were made the less bad he felt for the victims.

He never was someone to justify murder. Sometimes he wouldn't kill bugs because he felt bad for them, but Y/n didn't seem so evil. They would have probably only killed one if the site let them finish eating. No, it was still wrong right?

So many bodies, but it wasn't their fault. They needed to survive. Would the facility judge a lion eating a gazelle? So why judge an anomaly for eating a human? They were born that way. Both are ruled by the laws of nature.

Nevertheless, it did not feel right. He felt like a monster for even agreeing with such a creature. To think they had a reason, but they did. They had one...

"Good afternoon Y/n," Zane stated looking at the very familiar window. The once-vacant desk below is now filled with many of his items after a week of going back and forth in the room.

Y/n waved back to him, the same tainted skin with the same depressing hug their flesh was having with their bones. They hadn't eaten anything after they were caught so every day Zane was greeted with a progressively weaker Y/n.

"So... How are you feeling?"

"Awful," Y/n said plain and simple. They were exhausted and wanted to curl up in the corner of their containment and die. Just a piece of meat. It was all they could want and think of.

"I see," even his voice couldn't hide his sorrow. He felt so bad for Y/n. His thoughts of getting justice by seeing the trapped anomaly slowly decay turned in a different direction. He started feeling like an awful prison guard punishing an innocent soul.

Y/n would die and the site would let that happen... or in the odd chance, they do let them live they would feed them the smallest morsel they could muster. Y/n will suffer and the facility didn't seem to be taking kindly to a cannibal in any future.

His aching heart just wanted to help them... but how?

———————————————————————————

Thoughts of helping Y/ n seemed to start crossing his mind more often than usual. Even away from their containment ideas started forming. He never would hurt anyone, but seeing Y/n so depleted, so close to death and drowning in discomfort... those ideas started seeming less awful.

A soul for a soul. Maybe death would be fine if it saved someone else from dying. It would even it out right?

Gosh, he didn't know. Just ruining any chances of a future for someone felt so bad, but...

"Zane, how was your interview?" A familiar coworker asked him freeing him from his thoughts. Well, for a second at least. Standing in the empty office all Zane saw were potential weapons: scissors, pens, and a fucking chair.

"It was fine. The usual"

No, he was his friend... Well kinda. They never considered each other friends, but they talked very often. Usually of mundane things but still. Enough?

"Good, good. I'm glad it went well"

Zane nodded trying to seem his usual happy self.

However the idea of feeding Y/n, finally getting to see their flesh grow plump. To finally know that they won't die and for them to finally seem pleased. To notice their smile as they thank him, and see he wasn't a monster. He just wanted that, and the idea got more and more enticing. To feed them and not let the damn facility keep them on the fine line between life and death.

A soul for a soul. A true and fair murder.

He wasn't in control really. Even when he punched and stabbed his coworker with scissors he wasn't there. In his mind, he had already accomplished his goal and was picking the fruits of his labor with Y/n. Killing someone was just a small stepping stone.

He wasn't a murderer no. Killing him was necessary so another could live. Most news headlines would call him a hero for saving another unfortunate soul.

Even tho he was working overtime to justify his actions; his thoughts were still foggy as he tore off many pieces of flesh packing them up neatly in bags. Some for today, some for tomorrow. He would make sure the meat would last.

———————————————————————————

Y/n was in the corner of their containment. Breathing slowly because all they could do was sleep and breathe. They were so hungry... but begging, crying, or doing anything was left on deaf ears. No one would help them.

They would have stayed in their misery until they heard a familiar voice coming from the glass. "Y/n? I-I got something for you. I mean something for you". Zane was panicking, sweating bullets even. Messing up his words Y/n could notice he sounded strange, breathless, as if he just got a shot of adrenaline.

"What may that be," their voice quivered, not from fear but from weakness. They were basically melting away into the ground. Turning into a skeleton, but Zane will fix that. He will make them well again.

Opening a small cabinet that led into the room he dropped a small bag full of meat. Just a few bites he will add more if needed.

Y/n didn't react at first thinking he gave them a red shirt, but it was slightly opened letting the smell of fresh meat drown their senses. They quickly pounced at the bag devouring every ounce of its contents

Licking the bag clean Zane felt his heart melt. It was so nice, to see Y/n finally being happy. Their eyes finnally showing some form of hope. He was their hope.

He dropped another bag into the room allowing Y/n to continue.

He felt like a saint. Helping the poor, the needy. A soul for a soul. His coworker died for a good cause. And from how happy and full Y/n seemed; more fortunate souls will help keep one alive.

Y/n felt better finally having something in their system. Anyone would rather starve than take handouts, but they were in too deep to feel shame. If this 'Zane' human wanted to keep them alive then they will appreciate him. As long as more came.

They both liked the sensation of having their needs met. Zane felt satisfaction from helping an unfortunate soul and Y/n felt good from eating... A truly wonderful relationship just waiting to flourish.

(I made this a long, long time ago. This is very different from my usual posts, I just don't know what to post so… Yeah. My writing style has changed, and this type of post won't become a habit. A one-time thing you could say since I like posting about my other stories more)

[cupid-ghoul]

💜 THIS IS MY SKELETOUR/ HANNOVER RITUAL POST 💜

this post will be spoiler free because I just want to yap about my experience - since things weren't that great at times - and maybe post an outfit pic. the cut is just for aesthetic/space reasons. lmk if you also were in Hannover and what your experience was! xox

also fyi this post mentions fainting so if you're sensitive to reading that please be aware

okay so! the good things first: the ritual was SO fun and we had a great time. I really enjoyed the feeling of no phones, it gave me the freedom to fully be in the moment and not worry about ruining my/someone else's videos.

I really loved seeing the friends we made in 2023 again and this time hang out in a vacation appartment together! we had a great time and once the next tour rolls around we'll deffo do it again!! also going to a concert with 6 other people was a feat but it worked out so well haha.

the concert itself was absolutely fantastic and I even got the chance to give a bracelet and a silly picture I drew (it started as a joke but I'm not mad at the outcome lol) to dewdrop! In exchange he gave me a pick, which almost had me pass out ngl.

so here's my little haul of everything I took home ritual/merch/pop up store-wise

my bf actually made each one of us in our group a totebag??? he's insane and I love him very much! since I'm a princess he even made my totebag with the impera grucifix instead of the regular one! he also sewed the cape and wristcuffs for my outfit! what a man 😩💜

the pop up store was also really nice, even tho the best thing about it was probably the toilet, since it was the nicest one we had access to in the queue haha (we queued for 7 hours or so since last time we saw ghost that amount of time was necessary. however the Hannover ritual only had like 8k people, but yk gas station toilets aren't the most luxurious establishments).

we also got to trade bracelets, which also added to the experience and fun! I even gave a bracelet to the security guy that helped me when I was feeling faint during the encore after I got my dew pick. he was very excited and put the bracelet on right after getting it, which was SO cute. the security in the venue was so nice in general.

I'm just gonna slap my outfit pics here because the rest of the post won't be as light-hearted and fun. so if you saw me, no you didn't (jk). my fit was literally just me going "man I want to look like the impera bugs" so we made it happen 🥰 I felt very cute ngl.

I'm very glad that my overall ritual experience was so positive and even ended with me getting a pick from my favorite ghoul.

HOWEVER

with every great experience usually comes something not so great and in this case it was the venue and some people in the crowd. idk if anyone here (besides my bf - hi bestie!!) was also in Hannover but the organisation from the venue was awful.

the day before our ritual I called both the venue and the event company to make sure that the front of stage tickets had a separate entrance and queue, as was the case with probably all german tour stops. I was assured that this would surely be the case.

so when we as a group pulled up the next day NOTHING was set up, not even the gates or anything that would help to manage the queues/crowd. these gates would then be set up 1½ hours after our arrival and to the suprise of no one there wasn't a front of stage queue or entrance. the absence of anything remotely close to queue management left the crowd to basically manage itself, which went semi-well but tbf it could have been a lot worse. when I called the event company again, another employee told me that there wouldn't be a separate queue but that I should ask a security on site for more information.

which brings me to my next point.

THERE. WAS. NO. SECURITY. ON. SITE.

the weather was really sunny and while sometimes a little wind blew, the sun was pretty much beating down on the queues. we have queued for ghost before so we had water, food, and sunscreen on hand. once it got really rough we started scheduling breaks in the shade and little walks in smaller groups to not get sunstroke.

while we managed quite well to work through the heat/sun others didn't and we were "lucky" that only one person in the queue fainted. BUT due to the lack of security outside it was once again the crowd that had to take care of the person and alert the security that was inside the venue looking out through the doors. a lady had to hop over the gates to bang against the windows so get someone's attention. and when that finally happened, the security guy strolled our LEISURELY to "check out what was going on". it took almost 20 minutes till we had a paramedic on site.

leaving a crowd to manage itself in the heat and not having security at least walk around in regular intervals is extremely irresponsible and could have ended a lot worse.

sadly we also had a few people in the crowd that just weren't as nice.

the two highlights? lowlights? of that would be

- a person in front of us who kept farting 😭 there's even a tiktok about it from another person. it was really ... something.

and

- a guy came up to me and handed me a thong that had I love men in bands (in german mind you) printed on it. apparently he got it from someone else with the task to get it to the front of the stage and later thrown on stage. he was super relieved once he got rid of it and left super quickly, which I can't really blame him for. so I started the concert with a thong in my purse and I'm sorry if you're the person that made it and wanted it thrown on stage BUT we as a corner (me, my group, and the people around us) found it highly inappropriate to do so. if someone wanted it to go to the band directly they could have given it to the head of security. but throwing it was too much and there also wasn't really an option of passing it on, since a bunch of us found it super inappropriate and were uncomfortable with the situation. I might post the ghong at one point but idk.

so now the ghong is in my home and tbh I haven't decided what to do with it. the entire ghong experience was wild to say the least.

anyways this was my rant about my ritual 💜🥰 I still had an amazing time and I'm glad we chose to go as a group of friends. however we will not be going to any concert in Hannover again!

the divider used was made by @/saradika-graphics

[runeawakening]

Rune let out a low, approving growl as Alasdair's hands tightened around his neck, his grip on his hips tightening to the point that there'd probably be fingertip bruises left on his pale skin. "You say that, and yet you're sitting here straddling me like one," He taunted, "Don't think pretty boys who aren't sluts would get hard from me threatening you, either, isn't that right?"

The challenge was a tasty one, and Rune was never one to turn down a challenge, especially one that he could so easily win. One of his hands trailed up his back, gripping the back of his neck before he was shifting them skillfully and swiftly so the nephilim was on his back and Rune was hovering over him, body pressed between his thighs so he didn't have a chance to try and push him away. "You sure you want me to make you, angel face? You know what you're signing up for?" He didn't usually ask, didn't really care, but if Alasdair didn't want it, he'd likely be pulled away and slammed back into a cell. He had to cover all his bases before he let himself have his fun.

The last time Alasdair had been in the undercroft, he hadn't been down there long enough to really experience other slaves, but he had to wonder if there were anymore like Rune.. like Danny.. that he would have to try and stay away from. He had a feeling they would be just as dangerous as some of the master if it weren't for the collars wrapped around their necks, and he had no idea why he seemed drawn to that.. why they seemed drawn to him.

His hand tightened a little more around Rune's neck, his eyes briefly dropping to admire the tattoos under his fingers before he met the dragon's gaze once more. "I'm not a slut," Dair hissed through gritted teeth, his jaw set tight at the grip to his ass. When Rune's hips rolled against his own, the nephilim had to stop himself from letting out a soft groan when he felt the other's hard cock beneath him, briefly imagining what it would feel like inside him until he forced himself to push that thought out of his mind. "Go on then, if you're so confident. Make me beg."